Summer Salad Celebration

Whew, y’all, summer has settled on south Louisiana with a vengeance. The golf course behind our house is brown from the scorching heat and lack of rain. It’s drier than my post menopausal skin. 

Seems like our weather is feat or famine. We either have dry, brown grass and long period of drought, or we need Noah’s ark to get around. Whether the weather we have dry or wet, we always have HOT. For these long summer days, it’s hard to have a heavy meal each night. Hard for me…my hubby is a meat and potato kinda guy. Many times I will opt for a salad. 

I love to make my own salad dressings. I have several in my arsenal, but one of my favorites for summer is Honey Pecan Salad Dressing. It’s light and oh, so tasty. I’m hoping you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Honey Pecan Salad Dressing

3 Tbl Sugar

1 Tbl Sweet onion, chopped fine

1 Tbl Dijon mustard

1/4 Tsp Salt

1/2 c. Honey

1/4 c. Red wine vinegar

1 c. Vegetable oil (see notes for variations)

1 c. Pecans, toasted and chopped

Mandarine oranges, optional

Raspberries, optional

Pulse the first six ingredients in a blender 2 or 3 times until blended. I use my emersion blender. It makes things so much easier!

With the blender running (not the emersion blender, the regular one. You’d need a few more hands and arms to do this with the emersion blender), add oil in a slow steady stream. Now, here’s where I differ from the recipe. I use extra virgin olive oil. It’s healthier, from what I’ve always heard. But here’s another little variation: I found some mandarin orange infused olive oil. I mix about two parts regular EVOO with one part orange infused. Y’all! Delicious!

Now, here’s where I get confused. The recipe says serve over fruit or salad greens. I guess they mean add the pecans to the salad and serve. Ok, fine, I do that. I have salad greens, topped with pecans and mandarin oranges, with the dressing drizzled over the top. It’s very yummy. BUT…Why is it called Honey PECAN Salad Dressing? The pecans aren’t actually in the dressing. Hmmm, next time I mix up the dressing, I may have to really mix it up by adding pecans (ground really fine, of course), what do you think?

 I’m currently working on trying to perfect a Greek Fattoush dressing. I just can’t quite get it right. I love to add fresh mint, lemon juice and garlic, but I can’t figure out the amount of each to balance the recipe. If this is something that you have know how on, I’d love if you’d share with me. Oh go ahead, send me any salad dressing recipe that you have! I’m always on the lookout for something new! Thanks in advance!

Click here for a printable version of Honey Pecan Salad Dressing.

“For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey” Deuteronomy 8:7-8

Grace be with you,