Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner – Cran-Apple Spinach Salad with Candied Pecans

Am I in a rut or is this salad that good? It’s something I serve every year, so yes, it’s delicious and very appropriate for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s that good.

Note: I haven’t been able to find straight cranberry juice for a while, frozen or otherwise, so last year I substituted pomegranate juice and it was just as good. If you like, you can also use pomegranate seeds instead of the cranberries. In that case, we’ll call it Pom-Apple Spinach Salad.

See my Thanksgiving Turkey Menu below

Servings: 12   Serving size: 3/4 cup  Preparation time: 25 minutes (begin 3 to 12 hours ahead of serving.)

Ingredients ½ cup frozen cranberry juice (no water added) ⅓cup extra virgin olive oil 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar ⅛ teaspoon sea salt 1 cup dried cranberries *4 cups chopped apple (with skin) 8 cups baby spinach 1 cup thinly sliced celery 1½ cups Spiced Pecans (see below)

* Consider using both red and green apples when serving this salad at Christmastime.

Directions ​1. Whisk together the juice, olive oil, vinegar, and sea salt in a small bowl. 2. Place apples and cranberries in a 2-quart shallow glass dish.  3. Pour cranberry juice mixture over apple mixture. 4. Refrigerate, covered at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours. Sir occasionally. 5. When ready to serve, toss spinach and celery in a serving bowl. 6. Stir in the apple mixture and top with the Spiced Pecans.

Note: If mixture has been refrigerated several hours, allow to stand at room temperature about 15 minutes for olive oil to liquefy. Stir before using. ​

Candied Pecans Servings: 8   Serving size: 1/4 cup   Preparation time: 15 minutes    Baking time: 12-15 minutes

Ingredients: ⅓ cup honey 1 Tablespoon water 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ¼ teaspoon sea salt *2 cups unsalted pecans 1 Tablespoon sugar

*Walnuts can be substituted for the pecans.

​Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325° and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Combine honey, water, pumpkin pie spice, and sea salt in a medium bowl. (Set sugar aside.) Stir in pecans until coated with honey mixture.

3. Using a slotted spoon, place pecans in a single layer on the baking sheet.

4. Sprinkle with sugar.

5. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through baking time. Watch closely that they don’t burn but keep baking until they are no longer sticky.

6. Cool slightly on baking sheet. Remove and cool completely.

7. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Note:  I find these as irresistible as candy.

Thanksgiving Menu Wine Basted Turkey ​Turkey Gravy Cornbread, Yam, and Apple Stuffing Easy Cheesy  Brussels Sprouts ​Pumpkin Spice Scones ​​​Cranberry Chutney ​Cranberry Wassail Pumpkin Cheesecake ​Day After Thanksgiving Pie

​I hope you enjoy my recipes. Let me know if you’ve tried any of them and how they turned out. Feel free to share your favorite Thanksgiving recipes in your comments.

Good cooking to you, and Happy Thanksgiving!

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