Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Candied Pecans

I am loving fruit this summer. I always love fruit, but I can’t seem to get enough this year. With that said, I am not normally someone who loves fruit on salad. I will do dried cranberries and occasionally strawberries, but am not someone who wants blueberries, pineapple, mandarin oranges, etc all over my salad.  This salad I can do and really do love! It is a great summer salad with a yummy combination of ingredients. You get some peppery flavor from the arugula, which happens to be one of my favorite greens. You get sweet bursts of deliciousness from the fresh strawberries, which balance well with the arugula. Then there is a creamy taste and texture from feta cheese, which in my opinion is a good cheese because it is mild so pleases a crowd! Then one of my favorite parts is the candied pecans. Oh man - its a wonder they even make it on the salad because my husband and I could eat them all by the handful! Then the entire salad is dressed with a poppy seed dressing that is traditional with strawberry salads. Lets get started!

Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Candied Pecans

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Arugula, 4-6 cups

Feta cheese, ½ c

Strawberries, 1 c sliced

Pecans, 1 cup

Egg, 1

Sugar, ¼ c

Dressing:

Red wine vinegar, 2 T

Extra virgin olive oil, 6 T

Poppy seeds, 1 T

Sugar, 1 tsp

Salt, ½ tsp

Pepper, few grinds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat one egg white in a bowl and set aside. Add sugar to another bowl. Add pecans first to egg bowl and let ‘drip dry’. Then add to sugar bowl. Make sure all the pecans are coated at each stage.

Better Bonus Tip: One cup of pecans is likely more than you will want on the salad, but we do a little more because it is inevitable we snack on them straight from the pan!

Spread out on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring halfway. Once done baking, remove from oven. It will look a bit like a cloud because of the egg white. Stir one more time to break everything up and then let cool making sure the pecans are spread out in a single layer.

While pecans are baking, make the dressing. Mix all dressing ingredients into a bowl and set aside.

Next up, slice your strawberries and begin layering your salad ingredients - arugula leaves, strawberries, feta cheese crumbles and pecans once cooled.

Stir dressing one last time and add to salad right before serving.

Don’t forget to check out my better choices post on oils and I’ll be back the next two weeks with some more recipes that are oil based. Hope you enjoyed this one!

~Ashley