Full-House Festive Salad

This vibrant summer salad is the perfect side dish for any feast. It has cranberries, crumbled feta, and crunchy candied pecans tossed on a bed of fresh greens, topped off with playful star-shaped apples and a drizzle of honey mustard dressing.

Ingredients

• 1 Packet of mixed salad leaves
• 1 Packet of baby salad leaves
• 2 Apples
• 125ml Dried cranberries
• 125ml Celery (finely sliced)
• 125ml Feta cheese (crumbled)
• 2 Avocados (pitted and sliced)

For the candied pecan nuts

• 250ml Pecan nuts
• 90ml Brown sugar
• 45ml Water
• 5ml Cinnamon
• A pinch of salt
• 5ml Vanilla essence
• 2 Naartjies (zest)
• A pinch of nutmeg 
•  To serve - Honey mustard dressing (Store bought or homemade)

Method

Prepare the roast chicken
1. Place the brown sugar, water, cinnamon, salt, vanilla essence, naartjie zest, and nutmeg into a pot. Cook over low heat until the sugar melts.
2. Increase the heat and let the sugar bubble for about 1 minute.
3. Stir in the pecan nuts, allowing them to toast slightly, stirring occasionally.
4. Transfer the nuts onto a lined baking tray, spread them out thinly, and let them cool completely before breaking into chunks.
5. Thinly slice the apples and use a star cutter to cut out star shapes. Set aside.
6. Arrange the salad leaves on a platter, then scatter the celery, cranberries, and feta on top.
7. Add the avocado and star-shaped apple slices. Sprinkle with the candied pecan nuts, and finish by drizzling with your favourite honey mustard dressing.