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Baby Blue Salad

Ingredients

  • 3/4 lb. mixed baby salad greens
  • Balsamic Vinaigrette recipe below
  • 4 oz. blue cheese crumbled
  • 2 oranges peeled and cut into thin slices or section the oranges
  • 1 pint strawberries quartered
  • 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
  • 1 avocado peeled and cut in slices
  • handful of sugar snap peas cut lengthwise
  • Balsamic Vinaigrette:
  • 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
  • 1  1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1  1/2 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1/8 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 c. olive oil
  • 1 small shallot minced
  • Sweet and Spicy Pecans: *See note below
  • 1/4 c. sugar
  • 1 c. warm water
  • 1 c. pecan halves
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

Instructions

  1. For the Balsamic Vinaigrette, whisk together the first 6 ingredients until blended. Gradually whisk in olive oil.  Stir in the minced shallot. Yield 3/4 cup. If dressing seems too thick add in a little more oil or 1 tablespoon of white vinegar.

  2. Toss greens with sliced sugar snap peas, sliced red onions, oranges and the strawberries with some of the Balsamic Vinaigrette and crumbled blue cheese. Add in the sliced avocado and nuts. Either plate individual salads and sprinkle with more blue cheese or put salad I large bowl and sprinkle with more cheese for guests to serve themselves.

Recipe Notes

(Note on pecans:  I didn't like soaking them in water. It seemed to do something to the texture of the nut. I would suggest tossing the pecans with either 1/4 cup butter or use one egg white beaten until frothy and then toss your pecans, spread on cookie sheet and bake.) When I made this salad again recently I did not use the sugared pecans because I had a very tasty package of Trader Joe's Sugared Almonds.