Red, White, and Blue Salad with Candied Pecans

This salad is perfect for summer and its patriotic holidays, as well as being elegant, and super easy to assemble. Have your blueberries and strawberries washed and prepped ahead of time, as well as the baby spinach. Candied pecans are a breeze to make, you can find that recipe here, but don’t eat all of them before it’s time to serve your salad because they are quite tempting. Then, it’s nothing more than piling it up on a plate, and dressing it with the best balsamic vinaigrette ever. Or, you can serve the dressing on the side.

Red, White, and Blue Salad with Candied Pecans

 

1 bag fresh baby spinach
1 4-oz. container blueberries
1 small container strawberries

Feta
Candied pecans
Balsamic vinaigrette

Place ingredients, in order, on serving plates. Drizzle with vinaigrette, or serve it on the side.

 

 

Spinach Salad with Blueberries & Candied Pecans

I'm not sure just what I like the most about this salad, the fresh baby spinach, the sweet, juicy blueberries, the pungent bleu cheese, or the toffee-like crunch of the candied pecans. Whatever it is, this salad is a can't-stop-eating-it winner.

Based upon a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com, my version has a slightly sweeter, more complex dressing that really brings everything together. Easy enough for every day, it is also elegant enough for company. This salad can't miss.

Not a fan of bleu cheese? Substitute an equal amount of feta.

Spinach Salad with Blueberries & Candied Pecans

For Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

½ cup olive oil

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

Combine ingredients in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, and shake it, baby, shake it.

  

For Salad

1 pound fresh baby spinach

1 pint fresh blueberries

4 ounces crumbled bleu cheese

1 recipe candied pecans

Toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing to taste. Serve immediately.

PRINT RECIPE

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Candied Pecans

It's going to be heating up this week, so, cold soups, crisp salads, and frosty drinks and desserts will be on the menu. I have a different salad planned for every night this week in honor of National Salad Month. I found this recipe on epicurious.com as a component of another salad, but decided to do my own thing with the salad (that you will see later in the week), and just use the nuts. They were amazing! Not only are they the perfect addition to a salad, but they're also wonderful atop ice cream, bread pudding, on their own, or broken and served on top of oatmeal whether you eat it warm or cold. You must try this simple recipe, and then try to stop eating these nuts.

Candied Pecans

 Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup pecan halves

Spray sheet of foil with nonstick spray. Stir sugar, oil, and vinegar together to blend in heavy medium skillet. Cook over medium heat until sugar melts and syrup bubbles, about 3 minutes. Mix in pecans. Stir until nuts are toasted and syrup coats nuts evenly, about 7 minutes. Turn nuts out onto prepared foil. Using fork, separate nuts and cool completely (coating will harden).

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