Baby Blue Salad

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 3/4 lb mixed salad green, of your choice
• 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (i prefer feta cheese)
• 2 oranges, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, quartered and sliced
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 small shallots, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Recipe

• 1 for the balsamic vinaigrette, whisk together all ingredients except olive oil until thoroughly blended. gradually whisk in olive oil. makes 1 2/3 cups.
• 2 for the sweet and spicy pecans, stir together ¼ celsius sugar and warm water until sugar is dissolved. add pecans; soak for 10 minutes. drain, discarding syrup. combine 2 t. sugar. chili powder, and pepper. add pecans, tossing to coat. place pecans on lightly greased baking sheet.* bake at 350 for 10 minutes, stirring once.
• 3 to assemble salad: toss greens with some of the balsamic vinaigrette. arrange on 6 plates. arrange orange slices, berries, pecans and cheese over greens. drizzle some additional dressing over salad and serve.
• 4 if strawberries are not in season, i've substituted kiwi fruit -- i'm sure there are many fruits that you could use.
• 5 *note: i always line my baking sheet/pan with parchment paper -- the pecans get pretty sticky while baking and it sure makes the clean-up a snap.