Strawberry-Spinach Pecan Salad

This is a simple salad combination that is very pretty on the plate and tastes good, too. It is colorful and healthy. Summer is arriving all too quickly so my mind is turning to cool side dishes for warm summer evenings.

Strawberry-Spinach Pecan Salad

Pecans:
2 cups pecan halves
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the pecans, preheat the ove to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use vegetable oil spray to grease it.

Place all the ingredients except the pecans in a pot. Stirring constantly,  heat the mixxture until the brown sugar dissolves. Boil until the mixtures gets a bit thickened about 2-3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, add the pecans and stir to coat the nuts with the sugar mixture. Work quickly as the sugar will start to harden. Spread out the nuts on the prepared baking sheet as individually as possible. Bake for ten minutes in the oven or until the pecans begin to brown a bit. Remove from the oven and remove the nuts from the parchment before they stick. Cool before using in your salad.

Salad:
4-6 cups of washed and patted dry baby spinach leaves
1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries

Dressing:
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the dressing ingredients and mix thoroughly. Taste for salt and overall taste. You might prefer a bit more vinegar or mustard. Adjust the seasonings as needed.

When you are ready to serve, toss the spinach and strawberries with the dressing. Just before serving, toss in the pecans.

Ideas:
I like a sprinkling of Feta on the salad, too. Freshly grated Parmesan would work, too.
For some extra texture, a handful of dried cranberries mixed in goes well.