Spinach Salad With Candied Cashews

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 7 mins Cook Time: 53 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 5
• 1/2 cup cashews (roasted is ok)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 pinch salt (if your cashews are not salted)
• 8 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves, rinsed and dried
• 2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered
• 1/2 cup chopped baby portabella mushrooms (crimini)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries, dried cherries or 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 300f (you can prepare your cashews several days ahead).
• 2 in a small saucepan, mix together cashews, sugar, and water over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
• 3 cook and stir for about 15 minutes, or until mixture crystallizes.
• 4 spread the cashews onto parchment paper on a baking sheet (season with salt now if needed).
• 5 bake 15 minutes, then stir mixture.
• 6 bake 15 minutes more, then cool cashews before storing in an airtight container (until needed).
• 7 place spinach into salad bowl.
• 8 top with hard cooked eggs, mushrooms, dried fruit, and candied cashews.
• 9 juice the lemon.
• 10 whisk together the lemon juice, salt, pepper, dijon mustard, and sugar, adjusting sugar to taste.
• 11 slowly add olive oil and whisk until dressing emulsifies.
• 12 serve dressing over salad as desired.