Greens, Beet and Goat Cheese Salad w/ Caramelized Pecans

If you're looking for a satisfying main dish salad or a great salad starter, try this!

Greens, beets, nuts and a homemade fruity dressing will make you feel like you're eating something good for you - and that's because you are.

You can always amp up the protein by adding sliced grilled chicken breast.

Add some foccacia or other great bread as an accompaniment.  And, why not sip on a sauvignon blanc while you're at it!

This is a great dinner salad for 2 or a starter for 4. 

Here's what you'll need:



                            6 C greens (your choice - I used organic spring mix)

                            1 C roasted golden beets,

                            cut into thick sticks

                            140 gm package of goat cheese, crumbled

                            Caramelized pecans

                            Apricot Honey Caramelized Onion Dressing

                              (Click for dressing recipe here)                 

How to caramelize the pecans:

                                      1/2 C pecan halves

                                      1 T butter

                                      1 T brown sugar

                                      1/8 t cayenne pepper

(There is a very mild kick with the pepper but you can omit if you like)

Pre-mix the sugar and pepper (if using),

for even distribution.

Melt butter in a pan over medium high heat.

Add pecans.

Sprinkle sugar mix over nuts...

Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until well coated.

Cool on wax paper.

Now to make the salad...

Toss the greens with about 1/2 a cup of salad dressing.

(Depending on the amount of greens and your preference for more/less dressing.)

Distribute beets evenly...

Same with the cheese...

Sprinkle with the caramelized pecans.

What a multi-layered taste experience!

Fresh greens...

Earthy beets...

Piquant goat cheese...

Sweet and spicy pecans...

All brought together with a complex fruity dressing!

Good enough for company and great just for you!

My Mother's Garden Feta Salad

I love this salad.  I grew up with it, having it on most summer days.  With good weather around the corner (I hope!), I thought I'd get a head start on this wonderful Garden Feta Salad.  I thought I'd call it that because it's how my mother made it - literally from the garden.

Every year, my parents would plant peppers, tomatoes, onions and parsley along with other veggies. My dad would fire up the BBQ as my mom went into their vegetable garden, plucking fresh and fragrant vine ripened tomatoes and peppers, parsley and onions.  Of course, they did not grow feta in the garden - she brought that out from the fridge - LOL. However, she did keep a knife, bowl, bottle of oil and salt and pepper in the shed for those BBQ nights.  

Picking everything fresh, washing it off with the garden hose then tossing it together for the most delicious salad made those nights special!

The trick in this salad is grilling your peppers. If you can do it on the BBQ, great.  If not, you CAN easily make grilled peppers right on your stove top (see video below).  Be prepared to open some windows if it gets too smoky for you or just crank up your fan!

Now, regarding feta... In my opinion, the Bulgarian Feta has the best flavour.  I don't claim to be a "Feta-ologist" but this is my personal preference.  Have a Feta tasting party to see which is your winner!

Here's what you'll need for 2 main or
4 side dish servings:

                                 3 cubanelle green peppers

                                 3 medium vine ripened tomatoes

                                 1/3 C chopped red onion

                                 1/2 C roughly chopped,

                                        loosely packed Italian parsley

                                 1 C crumbled feta cheese

                                       (Bulgarian preferred but your choice)

                                 1/2 C olive oil

This is a close up of what a cubanelle pepper looks like.

Sorry... I'm having trouble moving the videos around.
Look at the bottom one first.


The roasted peppers should be put in a paper bag to "sweat".
The skins come off easier this way.


Here I'm grilling peppers right on a coiled burner.
You can use your flat top halogen burner.
My cook top is induction.
Cooking peppers on it will NOT work.
If you can roast them on a BBQ, it's the best flavour ever!

Here are my roasted peppers.
Use your fingers to remove as much of the charred skin as you can or use the edge of a knife to scrape it off.
It does not have to be perfect (note imperfection above!)


Take the stem part out & remove as many seeds as possible.
Again, it does not have to be perfect.  A few seeds are A-OK.
Make a vertical slit so they open like this.


Cut into vertical strips about 1/2 inch (2cm) wide.
Just eyeball it.  Don't take a measuring tape to it!


Take the pile of pepper strips & cut into same size crosswise.
Preparing the peppers is the most complex part of the salad.

Chop the tomatoes into a medium sized dice like this.

Chop the onion into a finer dice like this.

Roughly chop the parsley.

Add the tomatoes, onions and parsley to a bowl. 

Add the cooled chopped roasted peppers, feta and olive oil...

Mix through.  Taste for salt. 

(Though I don't think you'll need it - feta is kept in brine.)

Add a few grindings of pepper if desired.

Serve with a nice crusty baguette!

So there you have it!   My mother's Garden Feta Salad filled with smokey roasted cubanelle peppers, sweet vine ripened tomatoes, zesty onion, robust parsley and creamy feta, all enhanced by a quality fruity olive oil to be enjoyed with a chewy crusty bread!  Bon Appetit!

BONUS RECIPE!

I also served very simple pan fried trout.

I mixed 2 T of dried dill into 1/2 C of flour.

I drenched the trout fillets in the flour mixture and 

pan fried them in hot olive oil over medium high heat 

until golden & crispy on each side, about 4 to 5 minutes/side.

Serve with lemon wedges.