Fall Salad with Caramelized Nuts and Poppy Seed Dressing (Michelle Hileman)

Fall Salad – Caramelized nuts and Poppy seed dressing

1 head red leaf lettuce, chopped

½ cup caramelized sliced almonds 

1 pear or apple thinly sliced

½ cup goat, feta or blue cheese crumbles

Purple or green onion (optional)

Dressing

¾ cup oil

¾ Tbsp. poppy seeds

¾ tsp. salt

1 green onion chopped

1/3 tsp. dry mustard

1/3 cup white vinegar

¼ cup sugar - or a little less

Whisk dressing ingredients together.  

Caramelized Nuts

1 c. pecans or almonds

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

Pinch of salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Add pecans and coconut oil to a skillet and toss for 3 minutes over low to medium heat. Once the nuts become fragrant, add the maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon.  Stir for a few more minutes until the maple syrup becomes sugared and starts to caramelize on the nuts. Spread on parchment paper or in a buttered pyrex dish. Cool. Enjoy. 

Toss lettuce with fruit, nuts, and cheese.   Toss with dressing.  Don’t use all of it at once, it might be too much.

This dressing is great on any salad.