Orange, Cranberry and Spiced Pecan Salad

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

It's been a month of cookies and cakes and heavy holiday foods, so I thought I'd pivot this week and toss out a recipe to sort of tip the scales back to the healthier side of things. I've actually been really good watching the carbs, calories, and sugar intake for the last several months, but even I'm burnt out on all of the holiday goodies and Christmas isn't even here yet! We'll have 2 dinners to attend next week, one at my mom's house, then one the following day at Jason's parents. My mom always has a salad on the menu so I don't have to worry about balancing lighter eats with the heavier ones at her place, but Jason's family loves the savory, rich, and sweet foods so it's a bit more challenging to eat right there. Don't get me wrong. They always have some kind of fruit and veggie tray, but sometimes I just want a salad. So I thought that in addition to the main dish we'll be providing (ham, which I don't eat anyway) I'll be bringing a really lovely Orange, Cranberry and Spiced Pecan Salad to add to the table. This Golden Blossom Honey recipe still has all of the wonderful flavors of the season, so you can indulge without the guilt!

I normally only eat fruit in my salad in the warmer months, but this recipe taught me that fruit can go in with the leafy greens and be scrumptious year round. The sweet citrus fruit combined with the tart dried cranberries gives this salad a real punch of flavor, but the spiced pecans adds a nice warmth and texture that pulls everything together perfectly. It all comes together fairly quickly, so even if you don't have a salad planned for your holiday dinner but are thinking of adding one last minute, you can get this tossed together in a snap without too much prep ahead of time. It's colorful. It's delicious, And if there ever was a salad that could be deemed as the perfect holiday salad, this would surely be the winner.

Ingredients

Spiced Pecans:

3 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

2 teaspoons water

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup pecan halves

Dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

salt and pepper to taste

Salad:

1/2 cup orange juice

4 tablespoons dried cranberries

1 small head red leaf lettuce

2 large naval oranges, peeled, white pith removed, and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

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I'll be catching up on publishing and responding to comments next week. For those who celebrate, I wish you and your families a Very Merry Christmas!