Coming to the US in Summer meant that I didn’t have to deal with the ill-famed Seattle rains right from the word go. The weatherman has been extremely generous and barring 4-5 days, there hasn’t really been the “paralysing the city” kind of rain in the last couple of months. I was also fortunate that I was able to savour the last bits of Summer’s bounty: berries and stone fruits that I absolutely adore.Salads like these comprise my meals most of the days now. They are not only super healthy but just half a bowl fill you up for no less than 6 hours. This is one salad I made a lot as long as these fruits thronged the supermarket aisles. I love the burst of fresh strawberries and nectarines, crisp kale, crunchy pecan, creamy feta and a zingy dressing on my plate. And it looks pretty as a picture. What’s not to love about it?
Strawberry and Nectarine Salad with Kale, Candied Pecans and Feta
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Ingredients
- For the candied pecans: (You'll have some leftovers after making the salad, which, trust me, is a very very good thing)
- Pecan halves: 1 cup
- Butter: 1 tbsp
- Maple syrup: 3-4 tbsp
- Cinnamon powder: 1 tsp
- For the salad:
- Kale leaves: 2 cups
- Nectarines, sliced longitudinally: 2
- Strawberries, hulled and sliced: 10-12
- Feta, crumbled: 3-4 tbsp
- Dressing:
- I used Kraft Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing. You can use your favourite salad dressing/ vinaigrette. Only make sure that its fresh and light and not too greasy.
METHOD
Start with making the candied pecans.
1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C/350 degree F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the butter till it melts. Add the maple syrup and cinnamon and mix well. Just as the mixture starts to bubble, add the pecan halves. Keep stirring to make sure than all the pecan pieces are coated well with the sticky syrup and none is sticking to the bottom of the pan. If the coated nuts become too dry, you can add more maple syrup or even a very quick splash of water.
3. Once the pecans are coated uniformly, transfer them to the parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for 15-20 min. Give the tray a shake once in a while. Once the nuts are roasted, set aside to cool (for roughly 30 minutes)
Now for the salad:
1. Wash the kale leaves and gently massage them with the dressing. Line the base of a large salad bowl with the seasoned kale leaves.
2. Arrange the sliced nectarines and strawberries on the bed of kale.
3. Sprinkle some candied pecans (you’ll have a lot of leftovers for snacking later on!) and crumbled feta.
4. Drizzle your favourite salad dressing. Toss well to coat everything. Devour before the crisp salad turns soggy!
Confession: These pictures were taken with my (non-i)Phone and are certainly of much poorer quality that those shot with the camera. It’s going to be the same with the following few posts as well. Hopefully you’ll bear with with till the time I get my mojo back and take out the camera and tripod!