Receta Spinach Salad with Candied Walnuts and Golden Beets
I vividly remember sitting in my freshman comp class many years ago on a cool October day. Professor Kemp began the class by assigning a 300-word essay on any topic to be completed by the end of class. Never being a quick thinker, I wasted the first fifteen minutes of class trying to think of an interesting topic for my essay. Desperately watching the time and realizing that a good idea just wasn’t going to materialize, I decided to write an essay about trying to decide what to write about. I’m not sure what grade I got on that essay, but I finished it by the skin of my teeth!
I prepared this spinach salad for my Nashville friends, Jim, Cheryl, and Ricky last weekend and decided it deserved an appearance on the blog. Other than the fact that I made this salad for a dinner party, I couldn’t really come up with an interesting story for this post. So, here I am again writing about not knowing what to write about. Oh well…
I’m sticking to my healthy start to the new year, and this salad provides a delicious double dose of vegetables with maple candied walnuts and a simple maple vinaigrette. My dinner guests thoroughly enjoyed this starter, and I think you will too.
Spinach Salad with Candied Walnuts and Golden Beets
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup maple syrup, plus 1 tablespoon for dressing
- 1 cup walnut halves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 3 medium golden or red beets
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 10 cups baby spinach leaves
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool completely. Peelings should come off very easily with your fingers. Slice beets and cut each slice into 4 pieces. If preparing beets ahead of time, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. To prepare the candied walnuts, heat 1/3 cup maple syrup in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Stir in walnuts and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Maple syrup will begin bubbling. Continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes until syrup has evaporated and walnuts are coated. Remove from heat and place walnuts on wax paper or a silicone mat. Cool completely.
3. To prepare dressing, whisk together vinegar, mustard, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Continue whisking while slowly adding olive oil. Whisk until oil is incorporated.
4. To assemble salads, toss spinach leaves with dressing to taste. Divide spinach among 6 salad plates. Top with walnuts and beets. Serve immediately.2.5
http://www.southernboydishes.com/2015/01/20/spinach-salad-with-candied-walnuts-and-golden-beets/
I grew up in small town Mississippi eating traditional southern fare.A lifelong foodie, I started cooking and experimenting with food at a very young age. I started Southern Boy Dishes as a creative outlet and a way to share my love of food.
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