Cherry Goat Cheese Salad with Candied Pecans

Are you looking for your next salad? This Cherry Goat Cheese Salad might just be it! Cherries and goat cheese are surprisingly incredible together, and this salad has been a favorite at several gatherings we’ve had lately. The notes of tart and sweet bring in so many feelings of spring and this new season we are heading into.

As the weather gets warmer, we have been finding ourselves wanting to host outdoor dinners. The warmness of spring, longer nights, and buds on all of the trees have us craving to be outdoors. The kids love eating outside, too. There is something about these days before summer, the anticipation, the excitement of what’s to come. Vegetables are being planted from seed. Projects around the farm are picking up (and endless!). My kids are finding themselves barefoot. It’s the most wonderful time of the year! I am just feeling the magic in everything around us.

With spring around the corner, we are starting to up our gatherings with friends. I realized that I needed some go-to dinner items to be able to whip up and bring to gatherings. This salad is one that you will want to put on your list! It’s easy, so yummy, and will disappear after it’s set out on the table. I’m definitely going to be keeping this pecan recipe in mind for the upcoming holidays as well- they are so versatile and are actually delicious on their own as well!

Cherry Goat Cheese Salad with Candied Maple Pecans

Ingredients

• 5.5oz Mixed Greens (4-5 cups)
• 1 c Cherries
• 4oz Plain Goat Cheese
• 1 c Pecans
• 1/4c maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• pinch of sea salt
• Parchment Paper
• This Poppy Seed Dressing

First, start the candied maple pecans (7 minutes)

Get out a sheet of parchment paper and set it to the side on your counter. Set a saucepan to medium-low on your stove top. Mix together the pecans, syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Once the pan is hot, pour the pecan mix into the saucepan. Stir for around 5-7 minutes, nonstop. Once it starts to get very sticky (after about 5 minutes), transfer it to the parchement paper and spread it all out evenly so that it isn’t clumped together. Let it dry for at least 10-15 minutes while you get your salad together. After about 1-2 hours of drying, you can put the extras into an air tight container for storage.

Cherry Goat Cheese Salad

Put your greens into a bowl. Sprinkle the greens with crumbled goat cheese. If you are using a goat cheese log, just open it up, take a fork, and gently crumble the cheese on top of the greens. Now it is time to cut up your cherries! This is the most time consuming part of the recipe. Pitting cherries is not my favorite task! I like to take off all of the stems, take the knife and slice from the very top all the way around the cherry in a circle. Then, take each side with both hands and twist it to separate. Then, take your finger and get out the pit. Phew- this is a process! Do this for the entire cup of cherries. After you are finished cutting up the cherries, sprinkle them onto the salad. Add the candied pecans, and you are done! Here is my favorite dressing that pairs really nicely with this recipe. You could also just make your own version.

So, there you have it! The perfect salad for spring. This pairs nicely with so many dishes- grilled chicken, steak, and my favorite: sourdough flatbread pizza! Our favorite dressing for this salad is the Brianna’s Organic Rich Poppy Seed Dressing, you can find this at most grocery stores.

What would your dream outdoor dinner look like? Mine would be full of golden sunshine, good food, yummy drinks, and sweet friends. Let me know in the comments if you want to try this salad! It’s kid friendly, absolutely delicious and fresh. Hope you and your family are enjoying this season of spring as much as we are here on the farm.