Day 4: Celery, Apple and Pecan Salad

On Saturday I attended my first BlogLove event at Houndstooth hosted by the fabulous ladies of LoveFeast Table. I was invited by Kara Jensen Zitnick of LaunchHER, whom I've known since college. She claims it's been 20 years and although I can't quite come to terms with having been an adult for that long (maybe because I haven't acted like one), reality appears to be on her side. I hadn't seen Kara in a long time, so it was great to catch up and, as an added bonus, create a little buzz for 30 Days of Honey.

Monday dinners are always a bit of a challenge for me. It's close to 8:30 by the time I get home from yoga on Mondays, so I like something quick and light for dinner. This salad is both - and the sweet, crisp flavors anticipate summer.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Salad:
8 ribs of celery, leaves removed
1 Granny Smith apple
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Dressing:
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons hazelnut oil (olive oil will work too, but I love hazelnut oil and this is a perfect recipe for it)
1 teaspoon millefiori honey
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Spread pecans on a baking sheet and put into the oven while it preheats. By the time it's heated and the salad made, the pecans will be nicely toasted (5 minutes or so).

While the pecans are toasting, prepare the dressing. Whisk together all the ingredients and set aside.

Cut celery and apple into desired shapes. I cut the apples into chunks and the celery into thin strips, but any shape will work.

Remove pecans from the oven and combine with celery and apples. Toss with dressing.