This Winter salad is very easy to put together but looks very impressive on your table. The candied pecans and balsamic fig dressing can be made ahead of time to cut down on prep. And a little tip: if you make extra pecans they are great on charcuterie boards or just as a tasty snack.
This salad is very adaptable to changes: choose the nicest oranges available, from blood oranges to Cara Caras to mandarines, they are not only sweet and delicious, but they add a bright splash of colour to this salad. If you prefer, you can swap out the golden raisins for dried cranberries but do try to keep the pomegranate arils – all of these ingredients combined give this salad a jeweled appearance that is very attractive and festive.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In small bowl, toss pecans with maple syrup, cinnamon and salt. Place on parchment covered sheet pan and bake for about 15 minutes, until nuts are toasted and maple syrup has crystalized. Remove from oven, stir nuts to separate them and cool completely.
- Meanwhile, to make the dressing, in small bowl whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard and fig jam. Add salt and pepper to taste. This can also be done in a jar with an immersion blender.
- To assemble the salad, place greens in a large serving bowl. Arrange orange slices around bowl and top with raisins, pomegranate arils and pecans. Drizzle with dressing and top with feta cheese.
- Toss well and serve immediately.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole pecans
- 3 Tbsp Farm Boy™ Amber Maple Syrup (250 ml)
- 1/4 tsp Farm Boy™ Organic Ground Cinnamon
- A pinch salt
- 1/3 cup Farm Boy™ Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1 L)
- 1/4 cup Farm Boy™ Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Farm Boy™ Dijon Mustard (225 ml)
- 1 Tbsp Farm Boy™ Fig Jam (250 ml)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 8 cups assorted tender greens
- 2 oranges peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 pomegranate peeled and broken down into arils
- 1/2 cup Farm Boy™ Barrel Aged Feta (200 g) crumbled
