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Springtime Pea Greens Salad with Toasted Pecans and Cranberries

We recently experienced one of the first warmer days of Spring, where you feel like winter is finally in the rearview mirror. As the seasons change, I notice that my cravings for specific foods will change with it. This salad celebrates young and tender pea greens, tossed with toasted pecans, plumped cranberries, and a punchy lemon pepper vinaigrette.
The recipe below makes 4 salads.

Ingredients

For the Lemon Pepper Vinaigrette:

  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Juice of 3 lemons
  • ½ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp yellow onion finely minced
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 3 Tbsp honey
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • Kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper to taste

For the Remaining Salad Components:

  • ¼ yellow onion cut into 1/8” slices
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries soaked in hot water for 5 minutes
  • ½ cup pecans lightly toasted and roughly chopped
  • 4 cups young pea greens, washed and drained
  • Kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 Tbsp fresh chives finely sliced, as garnish

Instructions

  • For the Lemon Pepper Vinaigrette, locate a small mixing bowl and gather the required vinaigrette ingredients.
  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, freshly-ground black pepper, minced yellow onion, Dijon mustard, honey, and olive oil.
  • Taste the vinaigrette, and season with Kosher salt & more freshly-ground black pepper if desired.
  • Set the vinaigrette aside while you prepare the remaining salad ingredients.
  • Toast your whole pecans in a dry saute pan on medium-high until they are gently toasted and warm.
  • Roughly chop the pecans into large pieces and set them aside for later.
  • Plump your cranberries in a small bowl for 5 minutes with ½ cup of boiling water.
  • Allow the cranberries to steep in the hot water for 5 minutes, and then drain the cranberries from the water and set aside.
  • Slice your yellow onions and set aside.
  • *I love sliced raw onions in a salad—if this is not your thing, simply omit them from the recipe.
  • When you are ready to assemble the salads, toss the pea greens and the sliced yellow onions in a large mixing bowl.
  • Season the greens and onions with a small pinch of salt and some freshly-ground black pepper, and toss the contents in the mixing bowl with a small quantity of the Lemon Pepper Vinaigrette.
  • *Use enough vinaigrette to coat the greens and onions completely, without leaving them dripping wet.
  • Serve salads with a large mound of dressed pea greens and onions, topped with a handful of toasted pecans and plumped cranberries.
  • Top each plate with a little more of the Lemon Pepper Vinaigrette, if desired, and garnish each plate with a sprinkle of fresh, finely-sliced chives.

Notes

  • Any leftover Lemon Pepper Vinaigrette can be stored in your fridge for the next day. Just remember to bring the vinaigrette back up to room temperature before re-emulsifying and serving.
  • If you want to turn this salad into a hearty meal, add some cold leftover chicken you have lying around in your fridge from the night before.