This recipe is a twist on a salad that I had at some point in my life. I can’t remember when or where. I do know they used apples, which I use if I make this salad in the Fall. But when I have fresh strawberries there ain’t no apple coming near this salad!
First you need to sugar coat some pecans. Candy them…what ever you want to call it.
Candied Pecans
1 cup whole pecans
1 cup sugar + some more for good measure
tin foil, zip-loc bag, smashing tool
You want to get out a good sized frying pan. Put equal parts sugar to nuts in the pan. Turn the heat on medium high and stick around….do not go walk the dog or pee or anything. You want to keep moving these babies around with as the sugar starts to melt.
BEWARE you’re pan is going to be a mess. It’s nothing a good soak in hot soapy water won’t fix.
Keep up moving with a spatula, they are going to look like they are burning a little bit. That’s OK.
Dust a little more sugar on there, and move move move those nuts around. Oh they are having so much fun. WOWZA…candy coat me mama!
Yes, they look a little burned like I said that is perfectly fine. Just don’t stop moving them around. Do this for about 5 minutes or so then spread tin foil out on your counter top. Pour the nuts out on to the foil, try to spread them out as good as you can on the foil.
You will be tempted to eat one….DO NOT do it! Wait until they are cooled. I have burnt my big fat tongue one too many times snitching these nuts.
When cooled you can toss them in a zip-loc bag and give them a little smash. Just enough to break up the large clumps and bust the pecans up a bit.
This is enough for two or three salads. They keep well in a airtight container.
At this point you can stop and just before serving sprinkle nuts and cheese over the salad and drizzle with salad dressing. Brianna’s is our favorite. You can use another brand but if you have Brianna’s in your grocery store, I would make the purchase, you will not be sorry. If you never heard of Brianna’s Salad Dressing you can go to this sight and see where you can find them.
Now sometimes I leave the dressing on the side and let people dress their own salad. This is mainly selfish on my part, because as you can see…I am not a rabbit when it comes to salad…I like me some dressing on there. DROWN the salad I say, drown the salad!!!!
Mmm, mmm, mm, mm, mmmmmm. I just had the thought come to me that diced prosciutto might be really nice on this salad. Get a little of that salty sweet thing going on…I might just have to give that a try next time.
If you want to make a meal out of it, slice a grilled chicken breast and lay it over top.
Enjoy!
Strawberry Pecan Salad with poppy seed dressing
Sheila
This easy salad is always a favorite especially when strawberries are in season. It goes with any meal, or you can make it a meal by adding protein.
In a medim skillet add pecans, sprinkle sugar over pecans and turn stove top on medium low heat. Using a spatula move pecans around in the pan. When the sugar starts to melt sprinkle in the water. Continue to move pecans around in the pan with spatula until sugar is all melted and is coating the pecans. Scrape pecans out on to a piece of parchment paper. Allow to cool, then break up any nuts that have stuck together.
I love Strawberries in Savory dishes. Have you ever tossed strawberries in balsamic dressing.
I could eat the nuts all up b4 they even hit the salad!
I know what I am having for dinner tonight. 🙂 Thanks, Shelia!