Have you ever had an unforgettable salad? Are you looking for a delicious way to make your meals healthier? Look no further than our friend Mike’s sexy salad recipe!
An important note from Mike on a quick substitute, “I can’t wait for you to make it. I changed the candied pecans because most people don’t have Aleppo pepper in their pantry.”
Ingredients:
Salad
3 bunches of small to medium beets, tops trimmed and scrubbed OR 3 small packages cooked beets, sliced to save time
3 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
Baby salad greens such as spinach, mixed greens or arugula
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
Honey balsamic dressing
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Candied pecans
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chili flakes (add less if you like it less spicy)
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 lb pecan halves (you could also use almonds, pine nuts, walnuts etc.)
Instructions:
Candied pecans:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F
Mix sugar, cinnamon, chili flakes, and salt together in a bowl.
Whisk egg white and water together in a separate bowl until frothy. Toss pecans in the egg white mixture. Mix sugar mixture into pecan mixture until pecans are evenly coated. Spread coated pecans onto a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, until pecans are evenly browned, 1 hour. As they cool, they will harden and candy.
Salad:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Rub the outside of each beet with some of the olive oil then place beets in roasting pan. Pour 1 cup of water into roasting pan. Cover with foil.
Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until beets can be easily pierced with a knife. Let cool, peel and slice.
Honey-balsamic vinaigrette:
While the beets are roasting, whisk together ingredients for dressing. Refrigerate until needed. (You can also put all the ingredients into a blender too.)
To assemble
In a bowl, combine sliced, cooled beets and red onion. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of the dressing and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes so the beets absorb some of the dressing and the onions soften up slightly.
Place greens on a platter.
Top with beet/onion combination, a little more of the vinaigrette, and then sprinkle candied pecans and goat cheese over the top.
Serve immediately. Enjoy!