Strawberry Arugula Salad With Toasted Pecans

We eat a lot of salads at home and they are usually humble combinations of lettuce, tomato, cucumber and some kind of protein. Sometimes I go crazy and add fresh herbs, cheese or a hard boiled egg. But I came across this salad from Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) and it sounded special enough to add to our Easter banquet.

The contrast of peppery arugula is perfect with the sweet, very ripe strawberries. The toasted pecans add a nice crunch and feta cheese adds just the salt needed. Toasting the pecans is one extra step, but really brings out the nutty flavor.

The final touch was the honey mustard dressing. I doubled the dressing as I knew I would want to use it later. Make the dressing the day before serving so it has time for the flavors to come together. Toast the pecans in advance and cut the strawberries a day ahead making this salad even quicker and easier to put together. You  may also want to slice the shallots in advance. Thinly sliced red onion would also work nicely.

You want the salad to be well-coated, but not soggy.

Simple, but delicious and a nice change from my regular, old ‘Plain-Jane’ salads!!

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Strawberry Arugula Salad With Toasted Pecans

A perfect combination of flavors and textures. Peppery arugula is complemented by sweet, ripe strawberries. Toasted pecans bring in the texture and the honey mustard vinaigrette ties it all together.

Ingredients

For the Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

• 4 tsp. Rice wine vinegar
• 4 tsp. Honey
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt or more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup Olive oil

For the Arugula Salad

• 1 5 oz. Package Baby Arugula
• 1 cup Pecans, roughly chopped
• 1 lb. Fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1 Small Shallot, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup Fresh mint leaves, torn

Instructions

To make the dressing:

• Whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and a few grinds of black peppers in a large bowl. Whisk in the olive oil until smooth. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

To make the salad:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until they darken a shade or two and smell nutty, 5-6 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Add the arugula, feta, mint, pecans, strawberries and shallots and toss to coat everything with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper.