Simple Spinach Salad with Apples and Pecans Recipe
This easy and flavorful salad is the perfect blend of crisp, juicy, tart apples, crunchy pecans, tender spinach, tangy dried cranberries, and creamy feta cheese. A zesty homemade poppy seed dressing seals the deal and enhances the flavor and texture of the salad.
6ouncesfresh baby spinach, if not already washed, rinse the leaves thoroughly and dry
⅔cupdried cranberries
2Granny Smith apples,medium, unpeeled and sliced
½cupcrumbled feta cheese
½cuproasted pecans
Poppy Seed Dressing Ingredients
2tablespoonshoney
3tablespoonslemon juice,fresh squeezed
½teaspoononion powder
½teaspoongarlic powder
½teaspoonkosher salt
½teaspoonground black pepper
3tablespoonsextra virgin olive oil
3tablespoonswater
1teaspoonpoppy seeds
Instructions
Place the rinsed and dried spinach leaves in a large bowl.
Thinly slice the apples and add them to the spinach. Next, add the cranberries, crumbled feta, and roasted pecans.
Add all of the dressing ingredients to a large jar and shake well.
Before serving, top the salad with a bit of dressing and gently toss. Serve immediately.
Notes
You will have extra dressing. Simply cover, refrigerate, and use it on another salad.To easily roast your pecans, place them in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate and microwave in one-minute increments until they are fragrant and lightly toasted. Start tasting them at the three-minute mark.Whether you cut the stems off of the spinach leaves is purely a matter of personal preference. I usually do, but most folks don't.Feel free to use a purchased poppy seed dressing if you are in a time crunch.