Apple-Cranberry Spinach Salad

The holiday season is here and many of us are looking for ways to maintain good eating habits without missing out on holiday favorites. This salad recipe will please the toughest critics while holding strong to the Fit Five principle of real, fresh food. We’ve added candied pecans and crumbled blue cheese to this Zults Everyday favorite for a small holiday splurge.

 Salad
5 oz Fresh Spinach, washed
1 cup Dried Cranberries
2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and chopped
4 oz Crumbled Blue Cheese

Candied Pecans
1 C Pecans
¼ cup Sugar
½ tsp Cinnamon
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper (or more to taste)

Dressing
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup White Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Honey
1 tbl Dijon Mustard

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine all salad ingredients. Set to the side.

2. Add sugar to a medium sized pan and cook over medium high heat until sugar begins to melt. Add pecans and stir with a rubber spatula until sugar is completely coated (but not burned!) and pecans are well coated with sugar glaze. Remove pan from heat and transfer pecans to a nonstick baking sheet or glass plate, sprinkle with cinnamon and cayenne pepper and chill 5 minutes. Break apart pecans and add to salad.

3. In a bowl, combine all dressing ingredients and mix well.

4. Toss your salad with dressing and serve.

For more information on all things nutrition, check out zultseveryday.com.