Cranberry Avocado Salad with Sweet White Balsamic

Si Foster — Thu, 21 May 2015 07:00:17 +0000

I love the flavors, colors and textures packed in this Cranberry Avocado Salad with Sweet White Balsamic Vinaigrette. Now that we are approaching summer and winter is (hopefully) in our rear view mirrors, it’s time to celebrate the warmer days with SALAD! One of my favorite combos is avocado with greens and a bit of something sweet.

I Pinned this salad from the Cafe Sucre Farine on my Salad and Veggies board and knew it was one of those must make recipes, not just a “pin it and forget about it recipe”. This salad will be perfect for gatherings of women… I’m thinking baby and bridal showers this summer.

Come visit me at A Bountiful Kitchen also on Instagram and Facebook for other recipes that will inspire you to celebrate the flavors of Spring!

Cranberry Avocado Salad with Sweet White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Found on Pinterest – from Cafe Sucre Farine

Time to get to this delicious salad! Here are the recipes for the dressing, the salad, as well as the yummy spiced almonds that give it a little extra something special.

To make the dressing:

⅓ cup sugar

1 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds

1 ½ tablespoons sesame seeds

½ teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons dried mustard

1 tablespoon minced sweet onion

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup white balsamic vinegar

⅓ cup vegetable oil

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a pint sized glass jar and shake well to dissolve sugar.

To make the salad:

12-16 ounces baby spinach, arugula, field greens

1 small bunch cilantro, washed and dried, leaves removed whole from stems

2 medium avocados, peeled and halved

¾ cup dried cranberries

¾ cup Candied Spiced Almonds

Place greens and cilantro leaves in a large bowl. Add avocado and dried cranberries and about ¼ cup of the dressing and toss gently. Scatter candied almonds over salad and sprinkle lightly with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve with the extra dressing.

To make the Spiced Almonds:

5 cups sliced almonds, or a 1 pound package
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1-1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika* – some smoked paprikas are quite hot, if you don’t like “hot”, just use 1 teaspoon and they will be mildly spiced.
1 teaspoon vanilla
sea salt

1. Place a large sheet of foil on a work surface. Spray with cooking spray or rub a teaspoon of oil over foil with a paper towel.

2. Place sugar in a large non-stick sauté pan and heat over medium heat , occasionally tipping and swirling the sugar until it is all melted into a pale golden syrup.

3. Lower heat immediately and add butter, cinnamon, smoked paprika and vanilla. Stir until well combined and all butter is incorporated into the sugar syrup.

4. Add the nuts and stir gently to coat. Don’t worry if you have some clumps of caramelized sugar – they will melt as you continue to sauté the almonds. Cover and continue to cook on low, stirring every minute or so until almonds are a delicious golden brown. Watch very carefully as they can go from beautiful to burned very quickly! Turn out onto prepared foil and sprinkle liberally with sea salt. Spread out on foil to cool.

Enjoy savoring every bite!

This awesome post has been shared with Tatertots and Jello and Whipperberry

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Cranberry Avocado Salad with Sweet White Balsamic