Lunch

This festive salad features spiced pecans, chopped dates, pomegranate seeds, and a special balsamic vinaigrette. The extra time it takes to toss this special salad is totally worth it. It’s fruity, delicious, and…. makes leftovers you can feel good about. I sautéed an apple and had a warm healthy salad that felt as good as it tasted after last night’s over-indulgence! The whole process takes about 40 minutes – but there’s a lot you can do ahead of time if you pre-plan.

Start with your choice of a green salad base. I like to mix classic leafy greens with a baby greens field mix of spinach, kale, and red leaf lettuce.

Prepare the Spiced Pecans*

Prepare a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper to cure your pecans after they are prepared.
Toast 2 cups of pecans in a cast iron skillet – watch carefully and stir often so they don’t burn. Cook over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes until they smell toasted.
In a small bowl, prepare the spice mixture:
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- dash cayenne pepper (use up to 1/2 tsp. if you like a lot of heat)
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Coat the pecans: add 4 Tb. unsalted butter to the pan of pecans. (Use an oil instead if you are making this vegan.)
After the pecans are coated with melted butter (or oil), add your spice mixture
Add brown sugar + 1 Tb. water to your pan — (I used about 2/3 cup brown sugar per the directions – but will likely try to reduce this next time just for the health factor)
Cook and stir for about 3 more minutes until pecans are thickly coated
Transfer nuts to sheetpan and separate them to air about. Mine stayed sticky in the salad – no problem!
Original recipe says they can be stored in an air tight container for up to 3 weeks.

Flip-out the Pomegranate Seeds

Fill a medium-sized bowl with water
Slice 1 Pomegranate in half
Dunk 1 half into the bowl of water and then flip it inside out. This will make it easier to slide the seeds out without getting messy.
Let the seeds sink to the bottom. The little bits of pith will float to the top – making it much easier to get the seeds out clean.

Combine the Fix-ins

Mix together your green salad base, spiced pecans, pomegranate seeds, and add 10 chopped dates.

Fig & Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette (any balsamic vinaigrette will be fine)
These special ingredients are worth having just for this salad. Actually I use the Walnut Oil for my muffins because of it’s health benefits. (Learn more here.)

Combine following ingredients in a glass container and mix well:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup walnut oil
1/4 cup Fig Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp. salt
Juice of two tangerines / or 1 orange
Dash of honey (skip – or use another sweeter for vegan)

Dress your salad with vinaigrette just before serving to keep the greens crisp. Enjoy!

Holiday Breakfast Salad
I knew better and saved a serving or two of the pecan, pomegranate, and date mixture. There were no leftovers. For a sweet and savory breakfast salad: