Dried Cranberry Sugar Glazed Pecan Holiday Salad

Dried Cranberry Sugar Glazed Pecan Holiday Salad is the ONE and ONLY salad you will need for the holiday season. Sweet, savory, fruity, crunchy and a gorgeous centerpiece. 

Santa is checking his list, checking it twice, he wants to find out who is naughty and nice….

You can be both naughty (eat delicious food) and be nice (eat healthy food) this holiday season with this delightful Dried Cranberry, Sugar Glazed Pecan Holiday Salad. With a combination of crisp healthy greens and dried fruit to combat the naughty sugar glazed pecans and blue cheese, it is the perfectly balanced salad.

Dried Cranberry Sugar Glazed Pecan Holiday Salad is also a very festive for the holiday season with the beautiful green and red colors of the salad as a back drop for the cinnamon sugar pecans. Drizzling the salad with either the homemade citrus dressing or cranberry dressing just kicks up the entire experience.

Fantastic Salad for Holiday Side Dish or Dish To Pass

You can set it up like a salad bar with a big bowl of fresh greens and then have separate bowls for dried cranberries, sugar glazed pecans, blue cheese and the dressings. Friends, family and kids can make their salads just the way they like it. This Holiday Salad is so beautiful, it becomes the instant center piece to your holiday meal.

Cinnamon Sugar Glazed Pecans

The sugar and cinnamon glazed pecan are a very yummy festive snack. In less than 5 minutes, you can have them from stovetop to your mouth. Trust me, you will wish you made more. They can be stored for a couple of weeks in a Tupperware or sealed baggie. In moist and humid Hong Kong, they may only last about 5 days in storage.

Do you ever dread having to bring a dish to pass for an event? Dried Cranberry Sugar Glazed Pecan Holiday Salad is easy to throw together and will be the hit of the party. We like to serve the blue cheese and salad dressing on the side and let the guests help themselves. If you are looking for other delicious sides to go with your holiday meal, be sure to check out our Thanksgiving recipes for some inspiration.

Every Holiday Salad needs Sugar Glazed Pecans

We make our sugar glazed pecans right on the stove top. The addition of cinnamon, sugar, a pinch of salt and kick of chili is just what you need to bring this nut to the next level. They are completely addictive. You can use a sugar alternative,  but you will need to adjust the sweetness level to your liking as each type of sweetener is different. We actually used Korean dried chili ground for this recipe but a dash of dried red chili flakes also works well. Adjust the spice to your desired heat level.

If you are looking for some fun and interesting Holiday mains be sure to read our Top 10 Holiday Dinner Ideas. 

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season!

If you are looking for more salad recipes, be sure to try our…

Autumn Kale Salad 

Nutty Ginger Tamari Quinoa Salad

Mediterranean Bean Salad

Quinoa Fruit Salad

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Dried Cranberry Sugar Glazed Pecan Holiday Salad

Dried Cranberry Sugar Glazed Pecan Holiday Salad is the ONE and ONLY salad you will need for the holiday season.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Sides

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cardiac Friendly, Christmas, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Salads, Sauces and Dressings, Thanksgiving

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 327kcal

Author: Healthy World Cuisine

Ingredients

Sugar Glazed Pecans

• 3 cups pecans unsalted
• 1 cup sugar
  (or sugar alternative to your level of sweetness)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
  
• 1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
  (optional- it gives the nuts a little holiday zing)
• 1/4 tsp salt
  

Cranberry Citrus Dressing

• 1 cup cranberries
  fresh
• 1 orange
  peeled and sectioned remove peel
• 1/3 cup sugar
  or sugar alternative
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1 tbsp grated onion
  
• 1 cup Olive oil
  

Dried Cranberry Sugar Glazed Pecan Holiday Salad

• 10 cup washed mixed greens or baby spinach
• 1 cup dried cranberries (unsweetened natural if available)
  
• 1 cup carrots grated
• 1/2 cup radish grated - optional
• 1 cup alfalfa sprouts optional
• 1 cup crumbled blue cheese optional
• Sugar Glazed Pecan recipe below
• Cranberry dressing recipe below

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Sugar Glazed Pecans - In a large frying pan add pecans, sugar or sugar alternative, cinnamon, hot pepper flakes and salt and cook over medium heat until the sugar is all melted and pecans are crispy. Stir gently and frequently and watch them closely so they do not burn. Place sugared cinnamon pecan on parchment paper to cool and rinse your spoon and pan immediately as this forms a candy at this stage.
• Cranberry Dressing - in a blender add cranberries, orange, sugar or sugar alternative, red wine vinegar, salt grated onion and olive oil and blend until smooth. Set aside.
• Assemble the Dried Cranberry Sugar Glazed Pecan Holiday Salad - Place washed greens into a large salad bowl and garnish with dried cranberries, carrots, radish, alfalfa sprouts, crumbled blue and sugar glazed pecans. Dress with cranberry dressing. You can also set up as a salad bar with the greens in a large bowl and all of the topping in separate bowls and let everyone help themselves. Enjoy!

Notes

You can make your salad dressings up to 3 days in advance and make your salad up to 24 hours in advance. However, keep the candied pecans and blue cheese on the side and your dressings on the side until ready to serve. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 327kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 274mg | Potassium: 321mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 4186IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg

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