Beet & Goat Cheese Salad with Candied Pecans & Walnuts and Creamy Dijon Vinaigrette
Salad is the perfect summer side dish. Light, cold, nutritious, and can be prepped ahead of time. Perhaps when some think of salad, a bland picture comes to mind. Watery flavorless lettuce topped with a heavy creamy dressing that undoes any nutritional value you were hoping to achieve by eating a salad.
But that doesn’t have to be so. Salad can, and should be, a vibrant and flavorful creation of varying textures and complimentary flavors. It can be all these things, yet still quick and easy to throw together. For this salad, we start with a pre-washed organic spring mix. A combination of tender baby lettuces, this Organic Girl Baby Spring Mix has spinach, green and red leaf lettuces, chard, arugula, box choy, butter lettuces and more. We’ll be topping our lettuces with pre-cooked beets. These Love Beets are delicious, are convenient yet taste incredibly fresh, unlike canned varieties, and are a nutrition packed superfood. If you are unfamiliar with beets, they have a slightly sweet taste, and a texture somewhat similar to a pear. Not overly soft, but not quite crunchy either. And actually if you would like to substitute the beets, fruit is a great addition to this salad. Strawberries, blueberries, apples, or pears go wonderfully! Next, for a creamy/cumbly salty element our salad, we like to add a bit of goat cheese. If you’re not a fan of goat cheese, I highly recommend giving it another try in this recipe, but you could also substitute it for another cheese like feta if that is your preference.
To really round out our salad, we like to add some homemade quick candied pecans and walnuts. Yes, you can buy already candied nuts if you like, however the store-bought varieties are generally loaded with sugar. Candying our own only takes 5 minutes, and allows us to control the sugar content. We find 3 Tbsp of packed brown sugar per 2 cups of nuts to be perfection, where they are lightly glazed, and sweet enough to fall into a delicious category. They still scream nuts though (not dessert), and are fantastic just to snack on as well. And this recipe makes plenty so you will have some left for snacking. Simply combine a bit of butter, nuts, brown sugar, and a few dashes of salt in a medium pan, and gently toast over a low to medium-low heat for 5 minutes. These ingredients can burn easily though, so make sure your heat isn’t too high, and stir it almost constantly. When the sugar has dissolved, and you can smell the lightly toasted nuts, spread them onto a parchment lined plate or baking sheet to cool. I recommend storing these in an airtight container lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess butter.
And to tie any salad together, you need a good dressing. Vinaigrettes go great with spring mix salads, however in my opinion, they can be very plain. Yes a good vinaigrette should start with olive oil, but from there it’s really up to you to give it flavor. This dijon vinaigrette is a delicious alternative to a traditional balsamic vinaigrette. The mustard, along with fresh lime or lemon juice, give it the acidity that balsamic vinegar would, then we balance it out with a bit of honey, and throw in some garlic for a well rounded flavor. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper, and that’s all you need for a healthy and delicious dressing. Now a simple vinaigrette can be whisked together, but one simple step can really elevate this dressing from oily to creamy, simply by mixing it with an immersion blender. This emulsifies the ingredients together making it feel rich and decadent.
We hope you enjoy this Beet and Goat Cheese Salad as much as we do! Please let us know when you make it, how it turns out. Until then, we wish you a beautiful day, and happy home cooking!
Watch us make it here :
Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Candied Pecans & Walnuts and Creamy Dijon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 cup walnuts
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar packed
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lime or 1/2 lemon, juiced
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Candied Nuts
- Melt butter in medium skillet over low to medium-low heat.
- Add pecans, walnuts, brown sugar, and a few dashes of salt. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until sugar is dissolved and toasted nuts are fragrant.
- Transfer to parchment lined sheet to cool.
Dijon Vinaigrette
- Combine olive oil, dijon mustard, honey, garlic, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Use immersion blender to combine for creamy dressing.