Citrus, Bacon & Pecan Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
After making my Honey-Glazed, Toasted Pecans, I racked my brain thinking, what would be the perfect salad to pair with these sweet and savory, glazed pecans? After a lengthy brainstorm, I came up with a salad featuring applewood ham, pepitas, feta cheese, and my pecan delights. Enthused about this flavor equation, I was grossly disappointed when my concoction resulted inedible, tossing it down the kitchen sink. So, I went back to the drawing board and dreamt up a salad with tangy oranges, creamy goat cheese, hickory-smoked bacon, honey-glazed pecans, red leaf lettuce, and a maple vinaigrette. This time I was far from disappointed, as this salad was phenomenal with each bite bursting with a rush of flavors. Try it and see why it will become a family favorite!
Ingredients
- 2 small oranges, like navel oranges
- 8 strips hickory-smoked bacon
- 1 ½ cups Honey-Glazed, Toasted Pecans (see recipe under Salad)
- 6-8 oz. goat cheese
- 1 head red leaf lettuce
- Maple Vinaigrette dressing:
- 2 T. minced shallots
- 6 T. extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup quality balsamic vinegar
- 1 T. Grey Poupon Country Dijon Mustard
- 1 T. maple syrup
- ¼ t. sea salt
- Pinch ground black pepper
Directions
- Step 1 Take a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, if you have one, and lay down 8 strips of bacon. Then, turn the heat to medium-high on the stove and cook the bottom slice of bacon for 5 minutes. Next, flip the slice of bacon and cook the other side for 5 more minutes. You may want to cook the bacon longer depending on how well-done you want your bacon. Your bacon is cooked when it turns from pink to golden brown and the internal temperatures reads 145 °F. Remove the bacon from heat and crumble into bite-sized pieces. Reserve the fat for recipes like my Creamy and Dreamy Refried Beans (see recipe under Central American).
- Step 2 Next, make a batch of my Honey-Glazed, Toasted Pecans (see recipe under Salad). When you’re done, mix the ingredients for my Maple Vinaigrette Dressing (see side bar to the left). Mince the shallots, measuring out the vinegar, oil, mustard, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Then, pour all these items in a jar and shake, rather than puréeing them in a blender. Lastly, peel the oranges and cut the fruit into bite-sized segments.
- Step 3 Now, you’re ready to assemble the salads. Take four salad plates and lay down a bed of lettuce. Then, on top, adorn your salads with the orange segments, crumbled goat cheese, crispy bacon, and glazed pecans. Dress with the vinaigrette and serve before the lettuce wilts. Enjoy!
With my Citrus, Bacon & Pecan Salad, each bite is a burst of flavors, varying between the crisp crunch of honey-glazed pecans and hickory-smoked bacon, with the creamy accent of goat cheese, all topped off with tangy orange segments and a sweet maple vinaigrette, which ties together all the flavors.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Serving size: 1 main salad, servings per recipe: 4, calories: 775, total fat: 54.3 g., saturated fat: 20.9 g., cholesterol: 90 mg., sodium: 915 mg., total carbohydrate: 42.2 g., dietary fiber: 4.8 g., total sugars: 35 g., protein: 30.1 g., calcium: 616 mg., iron: 4 mg., potassium: 446 mg., vitamin D: 0 mcg.