Spring Greens Salad with Fruit and Candied Pecans

Nothing grows and goes together like several varieties of green, leafy vegetables.  Planted in early spring, by April and May my vegetable garden is overflowing with the likes of spinach, kale, lettuce, arugula and cabbage.  Whipping up a creative salad is as simple as strolling through the garden with a pair of scissors – snip, wash and toss.

The great thing about growing salad greens is that they are extremely easy and don't require a lot of space.  A few containers supply ample room for growing the spinach, cabbage and arugula in this salad.

Spring Greens Salad with Fruit and Candied Pecans

Salad Ingredients:
1/4 of a medium sized head of red cabbage
3 cups washed spinach
1 cup washed arugula
salt and pepper
fresh fruit (sliced strawberries, pears, blueberries or tangerine segments are a few options)

Candied Pecan Ingredients:
1 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 egg white

Vinaigrette Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Begin by making the pecans.  Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon; stir well and set aside. Lightly whip the egg white. Fold the pecans into the egg white. You want the pecans to be just coated. Toss the coated pecans in the sugar mixture and then spread them out evenly on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 8 minutes.

Next prepare the vinaigrette. To the vinegar whisk in the honey and extra virgin olive oil. Next add the water and whisk again.   Combine 2 cloves of crushed fresh garlic, 1 teaspoon of lemon pepper and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir the mixture until it's well blended.

To make the salad start by rinsing and removing the stems from the fresh spinach and arugula. Thinly slice the cabbage.

Combine the salad greens, cabbage and fruit in a serving bowl.  Drizzle with salad dressing and toss.  Top with the candied pecans.

Notes:
You can skip the candied pecans and use toasted nuts instead.  Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes in a pre-heated 300 degree F oven.