candied pecans

As a non-salad eater, I whole-heartedly endorse one salad in particular. I eat it most days for lunch. I think I could continue to eat this one salad for a long time: Lettuce [I like baby lettuces, and arugula, and frisee-type lettuces. Not iceberg.], diced apples [pink lady or honeycrisp], dried cranberries [craisins], chicken [simple saute with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper & cut into cubes], a little crumbled blue cheese [gorgonzola], and candied pecans or walnuts. I don't eat salad dressing unless I make it myself and it is fruit juice & olive oil. I don't put dressing on this salad, but I do make Pete a red wine vinegarette that he really likes.

Candided Pecans:

Boil 1 c of pecans in some water for about 3 minutes. Drain the water and then roll the nuts around on a paper towel to dry them. While they are still warm put them in a large bowl and toss them around until they are coated with : 1/4 c powdered sugar, a little sea salt, a dash of cayenne pepper. Lay in a single layer [they need room] on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes in a 325 degree oven. Stir them around 1/2-way through the cooking time. Let the nuts cool and the the sugar will crisp & dry out. They will be chewy while they're warm. Store in a bag for a few days if you can resist eating them up for this long! I like to make at least a double or triple batch if I have enough pecans/walnuts in the pantry.