Name: Dried Cranberry Sugar Glazed Pecan Holiday Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 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; 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; 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)

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.

Top Down shot with Dried Cranberry Sugar Glazed Pecan Holiday Salad

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.

Close up shot of the sugared cinnamon pecans

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.

Long photo Dried Cranberry Sugar Glazed Pecan Holiday Salad

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.