this is my go to salad that i make to bring to work for lunches. it is simple to prep on a sunday and put together quickly during the week, plus i can eat it five days in a row and not get tired of it. i get my little gems from the garden of at the hollywood farmers market, but any sturdy romaine or lettuce like it would work just as well. i haven’t listed amounts mostly because i’ve always made salads and dressings to taste.
ingredients:
- little gems
- crumbled gorgonzola
- unsalted whole pecans
- butter
- cayenne pepper
- honey
- dijon mustard
- apple cider vinegar (bragg’s raw unfiltered)
- olive oil
first toast the pecans over medium heat until slightly browner. i use a cast iron skillet, and do a big batch at a time.
add a pat of butter (1/2 tbsp?), stir making sure to coat all the pecans. sprinkle cayenne pepper on them, and add honey to make them gooey but not dripping too much. stir around to make sure all of the pecans are coated.
let them cool on some aluminum foil while you make the dressing.
i start by adding the honey, mustard, and a splash of apple cider vinegar (about a tbsp of each), and whisk that together first, which helps the sticky honey and mustard incorporate easier into the dressing. then i add a bit more acv, and then drizzle in the olive oil. i start by using roughly a 1:3 ratio and go from there. obviously add more honey and mustard to taste. i use a handy bella cucina mini blender, but you can certainly use a whisk and get your arm workout in at the same time.
tear apart the little gem leaves, add some crumbled gorgonzola and glazed pecans…
…and toss with the honey mustard dressing.
to complete my lunch, i usually dice up leftover spicy garlic + ginger chicken to put on top.
wild, fresh + tasty 