Gluten Free Craisin & Candied Pecan Salad (Edit recipe)

This recipe is a special tribute to our family - it's a favorite! The salad uses light and crunchy butter lettuce as the base and has lots of great flavors and textures from craisins, candied pecans, crunchy cucumbers and shallots, tossed with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Like a lot of the salads we make, you can eat this as an accompaniment to a meal, or toss your favorite protein on top to make it a complete meal. This recipe is one I like to say that I "measure with my heart" - there are no true measures of ingredients that make it perfect ... it's whatever feels right.

10 minutes

Difficulty:

Easy

Show nutritional information

This is our estimate based on online research.
Calories:	723
Fat:	63 g
Carbohydrates:	44 g
Protein:	1 g
Cholesterol:	0 g
Sodium:	167 mg
Fiber:	3 g
Sugars:	21 g
Calculated for total recipe.

by allisappetite

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

For the Salad

6 oz Butter Lettuce
0.25 cup Mini Cucumber, chopped
1 whole Shallot, chopped
0.25 cup Candied Pecan Halves, chopped
0.25 cup Original Craisins

For the Dressing

0.5 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
0.5 cup Balsamic Vinegar, can sub white balsamic
1.5 tsp dried Basil
2 cloves Garlic, finely minced
1 pinch Salt and Pepper, to taste

Shop

Process

Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results

Prep your salad dressing by adding equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar to a jar. Add your minced garlic, dried basil, salt and pepper.
Give your dressing a good shake and let sit for 30 minutes, up to a few hours before serving. The longer it sits, the more the flavor develops.
Once your dressing is doing its thing, add your butter lettuce to a large salad bowl, then top with the cucumbers, shallots, candied pecans and craisins.
Right before serving, give the salad a good toss with the dressing and continue to toss until everything is well incorporated.

Notes

Depending on the amount of ingredients you use - whether adding extra lettuce or extra toppings, you may find that you want to add more/less dressing. Go by your heart and whatever feels right!