Bigger Better Salads With My New Best Friend... Candied Nuts!

In the ongoing effort to eat healthier, I have been making our salads bigger, using less butter, heavy cream, etc., and more whole grains.  It's not difficult, but it does take a bit more thought and prep.  Even with the variety of homemade salad dressings I have on hand, eating the same thing day after day gets... tedious.  Since topping salads with candied nuts seems to be all the rage these days, I gave it a go.  It's TOTALLY easy, much tastier (and cheaper, I would imagine) than buying them already candied, and I find it fun to do.

But I'm easily entertained.

A small sprinkling of these nuts on top of your salad makes all the difference, especially when added with other nommy things such as sliced strawberries, red grapes, or fresh pears... a tiny crumble of bleu cheese... some heart-healthy avocado... and a nice homemade balsamic dressing.

I have done both pecans and walnuts, and they work equally well.  A lot of sites will say you have to use whole halves, but I don't.  Here is what I believe to be my perfected recipe.

Candied Nuts

1/4 C. brown sugar
2 1/2 t. extra virgin olive oil
heaping 1/4 t. cayenne
heaping 1/4 t. cinnamon
pinch kosher salt
1 C. walnut or pecan halves and pieces

In a 10" non-stick pan over medium heat, combine all ingredients except nuts.  Using a high-heat resistant silicone spatula, stir constantly until sugar melts, about 2-3 minutes.  Add nuts and stir until sugar mixture coats and sticks to nuts and they are toasted, about another 3-4 minutes.  IMMEDIATELY dump out onto Silpat or parchment paper (do NOT use waxed paper, foil, etc.) and use two forks to quickly separate nut pieces.  Also, clean your pan and utensils in HOT water ASAP... the caramelized sugar sets up fast and can be hard to get off.  When cool, store in an airtight container for up to a month.  Yeah right.  These will last about 5 minutes, especially if you allow yourself to snack on them instead of just using them for salads.

This is my favorite salad ever...



Mixed spring greens (big container from Costco for $3.99... can't beat it), little bit of bleu cheese (cheap stuff from WalMart... it's way better than you would think.  I was pleasantly surprised!), sliced strawberries, diced avocado, and homemade balsamic dressing... oh, and the candied nuts, of course (pecans here).

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 C. good balsamic
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. dijon mustard
pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in mini-chopper or blender, blend until emulsified.