Spinach Apple Salad

Ingredients

• ½ cup Glazed Walnuts or Glazed Pecans (or toasted walnuts or toasted pecans)
• 1 recipe Best Balsamic Dressing
• 2 apples
• 3 cups baby spinach leaves
• 3 cups baby mixed greens

Instructions

1. Make the Glazed Walnuts or Glazed Pecans. (While they cook, prep the rest of the salad. Or, you can make these ahead!)
2. Make the Best Balsamic Dressing.
3. Add apple slices
4. Place the greens on serving plates and top with apples, pears, and walnuts. Pour over the dressing and serve. (Pro tip: Dress it up by adding cubed Manchego cheese!)

For Glazed Nuts:

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw walnuts
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 2 pinches kosher salt

Instructions

1. Add the walnuts and maple syrup to a small non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the maple just starts to bubble, reduce the heat to low but still slowly bubbling. Simmer for about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. In the last minute when the maple syrup is mostly evaporated, stir continuously until the liquid is totally cooked out and the nuts start clumping together (but watch so that it doesn’t burn or go too far and become powdery, not glossy!). Immediately remove from the heat.
3. Transfer the walnuts to a sheet of parchment paper in a single layer. Sprinkle with the salt and allow to cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes if eating right away and about 15 minutes if you want to store them for later use. Store in a covered container at room temperature.

Based on: https://www.acouplecooks.com/spinach-pear-and-apple-pecan-salad/ and https://www.acouplecooks.com/glazed-walnuts/