Yuuummmm. I was mmmm mmm mmm-ing the entire time I was eating this salad. It’s pretty much my perfect salad (other than say a beet salad). But I find something like this next to impossible to resist on a menu. I also find that most of the time when I make my own vinaigrette, there is something off with the flavors. Like it tastes good plain, but then I mix all the goods together and it just doesn’t mesh. This is NOT the case with this salad. Some might find this salad too sweet bc of the sugar from the nuts and the maple syrup, but I thought it was the jam. My mouth is watering just thinking about it…and it’s a salad….My dad and my step mom absolutely loved it too and my mom ate the leftovers directly from the salad bowl at dinner.
Oh man check out this close up…yeah thats right. A juicy burger couldn’t make my mouth water more…maybe not even a breakfast sandwich….blame it on the summer heat…or the goat cheese. I can’t resist goat cheese. I just can’t.
- about 4 sliced strawberries
- ⅓ cup blueberries
- full bag (or more) of garden blend greens
- about a ¼ cup honey (or regular) goat cheese, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon good quality maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon aged red wine vinegar (only if using high quality balsamic)
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup of granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- For the Vinaigrette: Gently mix together the balsamic, olive oil, maple syrup and salt. (If you over mix , the olive oil may become bitter) If using a high quality, aged balsamic, the flavor may come out a bit flat. If so, add a tablespoon of red wine vinegar.
- For the Honey Roasted Almonds: Bake the almonds on a cookie sheet at 350 for about 7 minutes or until lightly toasted. Heat the honey, oil and water in a sauce pan. When the pecans are finished toasting, pour them into the pan and stir until the pecans have absorbed all of the liquid. Pour the sugar and salt over the pecans and toss until fully coated. Spread out onto a cookie sheet and let dry for at least 30 minutes before breaking apart.
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