Nothing grows and goes together like several varieties of green, leafy vegetables. Planted in early spring, by April and May my vegetable garden is overflowing with the likes of spinach, kale, lettuce, arugula and cabbage. Whipping up a creative salad is as simple as strolling through the garden with a pair of scissors – snip, wash and toss.

The great thing about growing salad greens is that they are extremely easy and don’t require a lot of space. A few containers supply ample room for growing the spinach, cabbage and arugula in this salad.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 cup pecan halves
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 of a medium sized red cabbage
  • 3 cups spinach
  • 1 cup arugula
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • fresh fruit

Instructions

  1. Begin by making the pecans. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon; stir well and set aside. Lightly whip the egg white. Fold the pecans into the egg white. You want the pecans to be just coated. Toss the coated pecans in the sugar mixture and then spread them out evenly on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 8 minutes.
  2. Next prepare the vinaigrette. To the vinegar whisk in the honey and extra virgin olive oil. Next add the water and whisk again.
  3. Combine 2 cloves of crushed fresh garlic, 1 teaspoon of lemon pepper and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir the mixture until it's well blended.
  4. To make the salad start by rinsing and removing the stems from the fresh spinach and arugula. Thinly slice the cabbage.
  5. Combine the salad greens, cabbage and fruit in a serving bowl.
  6. Drizzle with salad dressing and toss. Top with the candied pecans.