This delicious salad includes peppery arugula, sweet pears, creamy crumbled gorgonzola or blue cheese, and candied pecans. Toss it all in a simple homemade dressing and enjoy!
Course: Salad, Side
Cuisine: Gluten Free, Grain Free, Sugar Free
Keyword: salad
Author: Christina
Ingredients
Candied Pecans
2cupspecan halves
4tablespoonsbutter or ghee
¼cuphoney
1teaspooncinnamon
Dressing
¼cupolive oilextra virgin
2teaspoonsdijon mustard
2teaspoonshoney
1teaspoonbalsamic vinegar
To Finish
5ouncesarugula
⅔cupgorgonzola
2pearsdiced
Instructions
To Make Candied Pecans:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add butter and honey to a small pot on the stove. Melt over low or medium-low heat. Stir. Add the cinnamon. Stir again until well combined. Remove from heat. (You can also melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave and then stir in the honey and cinnamon.)
Stir the pecan halves in with the syrup you've just made. Spread the coated pecans in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Stir the pecans. You can add an extra drizzle of honey if you want them super sweet.) Let them continue to sit on the baking sheet until cool. They'll get less sticky as they cool. Then use a sharp knife to chop them into smaller pieces.
To Assemble Salad:
Add the arugula to a large salad bowl. Top with crumbled gorgonzola, candied pecans, and diced pears.
In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, dijon mustard, honey, and balsamic vinegar. Whisk or stir continuously until ingredients are no longer separated. Pour the dressing over the other salad ingredients and toss everything to mix. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.