If I had name one salad to be my absolute favorite, then this Skinny French Country Salad would be at the top of my list. This recipe is an adaptation of the French Country Salad at the Cheesecake Factory. I began ordering their French Country Salad over 4 years ago after a server recommended it to me. I always order it with a piece of blackened salmon and you can prepare this recipe with our Skinny Blackened Salmon as well.
The asparagus and beets compliment the sweet and crunchy pecans perfectly. I had actually never tried beets before eating this salad, but I have been hooked ever since. I recommend trying them with the salad, but if you are not a fan then you can certainly leave them off. For the dressing, I used a balsamic dressing that I love at the grocery store but you could make your own as well. This salad is also a beautiful dish to serve for guests and makes a wonderful side dish for serving at special holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Spring Mix Green Salad
- 1 cup pickled beets, sliced (I just used a can of pickled beets)
- ½ lb. asparagus, wash and cut ends and then cut each stem into quarter size pieces
- ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup reduced fat Feta cheese
- ½ cup pecans
- butter spray
- 1 tbsp Splenda granulated sweetener
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place cut asparagus in a small baking dish. Add extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss well to cover.
- Bake asparagus for 8-10 minutes until tender but still crunchy.
- On a small baking sheet, add parchment paper and add pecans.
- Generously spray pecans with non-stick butter spray to cover both sides of pecans. Sprinkle Splenda over pecans and toss to cover both sides.
- Bake pecans in oven for 8-10 minutes until toasted and Splenda has started to melt.
- In a large bowl, add Spring Mix Green salad.
- Top salad with beets.
- Add cooked asparagus and pecans to salad.
- Top salad with Feta cheese and serve immediately.
Nutrition Info and Tips
Nutrition Info per serving (1/6th of salad): Calories: 129.9, Fat: 9.5g, Carbohydrate: 10g, Dietary Fiber: 2.9g, Sugars: 1.1g, Protein: 3.9g
