Whenever I make this salad for guests, I'm always asked for the recipe and my family always requests this. We call it 'The Good Salad.'
This is a wonderful salad and very forgiving as you can add almost any fruit to it and it still comes out superb! Try adding mandarin oranges - you won't be disappointed..... Side note: A little oily for my taste so will probably cut back on the amount of oil called for next time!
Read MoreConcept is good; execution -- not so much. Came out *way* too sweet for my taste; I like a salad that tastes like vegetables, not dessert. Halve the honey and oil, and eschew the brown sugar entirely. Another reviewer's suggestion to add goat cheese was right on. It lends a nice tang to the dish.
Read MoreThis is a wonderful salad and very forgiving as you can add almost any fruit to it and it still comes out superb! Try adding mandarin oranges - you won't be disappointed..... Side note: A little oily for my taste so will probably cut back on the amount of oil called for next time!
AWESOME is the only way to describe this salad. I have brought it to many social events and it ALWAYS gets rave reviews, looks very pretty and many requests for a copy. My "tweeks" include: Spread the cashews on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake @ 350 degree for 10-15 minutes until lightly toasted/browned. Saves time, uneveness and greater chance of burning when cooking on stove. I cut back the olive oil to 1/3 cup (use very high quality olive oil) and maple bacon. I use a whole pear sliced then cut each slice into halves or thirds, depending on how large the pear is, and toss. For a more formal presentation, toss the greens with the vinagrette, place on a decorative plate, then sprinkle with the bacon, grapes & pears, leaving pears in slices vs cutting in pieces and fan out in a circular pattern. Use a firm pear and make sure to wait until the very end to add the pears to prevent browning. If desired, blue cheese, roquefort or gorgonzola sprinkles can also be added. YUM!!
oh my. i wish i could give this more stars. this salad was amazing; the best i've ever tasted. my man, who is usually very cool with his compliments, ate very noisily and raved with every bite. it was also fairly simple to put together. this will definitely become a staple. bravo. p.s. i left out the bacon.
The thing that makes this salad awesome is the curried cashews...wow!!!! I added some goat cheese and craisins as well. A keeper!!! Edit: After making this salad a bunch of times, I found that the dressing is best when cutting back to 1/4 cup olive oil (otherwise too oily tasting) and adding 1/2 tsp of paprika. I also like to add fresh raspberries to the salad. Good stuff!!
i have made this recipe multiple times over the summer and people always ask me for the recipe. here are my changes: (1.) reduce oil to 1/3 cup (2.) use Bac-O's instead of bacon (for those who don't eat pork) (3.) use Maille brand dijon mustard (for those who don't want white wine in their mustard) (4.) bake the cashews for 9 mins at 350 degrees (they come out perfect and you don't have to stand over the stove) (5.) use a full cup of halved red grapes (6.) peel and slice up an entire bosc pear --- so delicious!
This is an absolutely amazing salad! The blend of flavors is very creative and super delicious. My husband and I ate it all in one sitting! I didn't have fresh rosemary and used dry instead. There was a lot of dressing left over. The next time I make this I'll only make half the dressing. I'll also try adding some goat cheese.
This salad is awesome!! I had it at my Mom's house and everyone loved it. This recipes is missing a few ingrediants compared to our recipe. For the dressing we put in 3 tbls toasted sesame seeds and 1 teasp. minced garlic. It also suggests you use peanut oil if you have it in place of the olive or veg. oil. With these extra ingrediants I give this recipe a 5 or in my rating system a 10. Second note: Try including Arugula (rocket) in your salad mix. It has a great nutty flavor when it is picked young and will really compliment the flavors in the rest of the salad.
This was a delicious salad! My husband and I both enjoyed it! We made a few changes. I noticed that we were out of curry powder so I used lemon pepper, which turned out great on the cashews and worked well with the salad. We also used veggie bacon. My husband had his with chicken, which makes it a great main dish salad! We will make this again!!
AMAZING!! I brought this salad for Thanksgiving, and everyone loved it! You won't be disappointed. I did add some cranberry goat cheese - thought this was an excellent addition. If you're looking for an impressive salad - THIS is it! I wll be making it again, and again!
Concept is good; execution -- not so much. Came out *way* too sweet for my taste; I like a salad that tastes like vegetables, not dessert. Halve the honey and oil, and eschew the brown sugar entirely. Another reviewer's suggestion to add goat cheese was right on. It lends a nice tang to the dish.
I'm dying to give this recipe a 5, but I can't quite do it. The overall flavors are awesome - the dressing goes beautifully with the sweet curried cashew mix and the saltiness of the bacon (yes, goat cheese would be nice). I felt there was quite a bit more olive oil called for than needed, so I cut it back to about 1/4C. Next time I would mix the buuter, sugar, etc. in a pan over med-low heat to get a good caramel going; as written, the sugar and butter tend to clump together and don't want to coat the nuts as I believe was intended. All in all, this is an excellent salad. I would definitely make it again with these very minor changes. Thanks!!
awsome, healthy salad. Big hit at the dinner party
Wow! The bold flavors in this are awesome! If you are a fan of Indian cuisine at all, you will love this salad. Relatively simple. I cheated with precooked bacon and two bags of lettuce. It took me two tries to get a handle on toasting the cashews, but well worth it. Low low heat I think for those. My new summer picnic salad. The fruit balances the zap of the the cayenne and curry. A meal in itself. Go for it!
I made this for a party this weekend and it was a big hit. Here are the modifications I made to the recipe. I used pancetta instead of regular bacon----it is leaner and has a mild flavor.I think it is "meatier" than bacon. I used white balsamic pear infused vineagar and half the olive oil (as suggested by other reviewers) in the dressing. I also added goat cheese. I didn't dress the salad--left dressing on the side. Everyone loved it. I will make this one over and over again.
This is crazy-stupid-g-o-o-d! My tennis team hosted playoffs and this salad received so many kudos from some very seasoned women chefs slash athletes. I added carrot shavings to give it a tad more color. Thank you for sharing! XOXO.
This was good - the cashew mix was certainly interesting - I'm still wondering if I liked it as much as I wanted to. No complaints from those I served it to but no one went gaga over it either.
This salad is delicious! It's a great mix of sweet and spicy and is quite a complex blend of flavours. I've taken it a few times to potluck dinners and it received rave reviews and requests for repeats and recipes. Can't beat that with a bucket of R's. The only modifications I made were to leave out the bacon, and to use roasted unsalted cashews so that toasting them was unnecessary. I also used cider vinegar in place of the white wine vinegar as that's what I had. This definitely goes in my list of favourites.
Best salad I've EVER made - and I've made some good salads. :) That nut mixture is to die for! It's unusual and for me that is a very big plus - I really get bored with the same thing all the time. I won't use this too often bec/ I don't want me or others to get tired of it - but I know when I do make it, guests are going to love it. (I made it for a group of people with fairly conservative tastes and without exception they all liked it.) EDIT: Made again - for a group of people who like to try different things and they loved it as much as I do. If I could give a 10, I would!
Wow! This is a party in your mouth! My mom wanted to give it 6 stars. This recipe as posted is awesome, no need to change a thing. I will definitely be making this over and over.
This salad is wonderful! I took it a step further and drizzled the cashew marinade over chicken and grilled it. Put it on top of salad, yummy!!!
This salad was SO great. I loved all of the flavors. I only used 1/4 cup olive oil and I would probably reduce the vinegar next time to 2 Tablespoons. It's just my preference as the vinegar seemed to overtake the mustard and honey flavor.
Lessons learned: walnuts are NOT a substitute for cashews in this salad. Aside from that, the salad was good... but I thought the bacon was a bit much and the dressing really, really vinegary. Reducing vinegar to 1 Tblsp and oil to 2 Tblsp next time.
We didn't have any bacon but didn't miss it. This was FABULOUS! Both my husband and I loved it and are looking forward to making it again very soon.
I was asked to bring a salad to our Home Group & wanted something fall-ish when I came upon this recipe. I'm not fond of Honey-Mustard dressing/dips nor of curry, so I decided to tweek this a bit, using many other reviews as a guide. The result was really good & I know my husband will like it because the cashews ended up being pretty spicy! So, here's what I did: I used 1 1/4 cups cashews, substituted Lemon Pepper for the Curry Powder; also roasted the cashews in the oven @ 350 for 10-15 mins. Increased the Bacon to 6 slices & always cook my bacon in the microwave about 1 min per slice for the crispiest bacon! For the dressing I wanted to be sure to have plenty, so I used 6 T. Vinegar; 1/2 C Honey; & kept the oil at 1/2 C. For the seasoning, I used 2 T Ground Dry Mustard powder (rather than the Dijon); 2 t. Poppy Seeds; 1 t. Sea Salt; 1/2 t. Black Pepper; 1 t. Paprika. It had a "kick", but nothing like the Cashews! I also added 1/2 C Cranraisins; 1 Lg Can Mandarine Oranges, drained; & 1 tub of Feta Cheese to the salad. I chose to dice the pear, rather than slicing it. I also only had Romaine, but would love to have added other greens, as I'm sure it would be even tastier! (I actually did only a test-run-taste for myself, so I don't know how others will like it, but I will give an update as soon as I have it. I liked it & I'm pretty picky, so I'm sure it will be a hit!) I've also renamed it: "Fall Festival Salad w/ Spicy Cashews & Honey-mustard-Poppy seed Dressing"!
I was uncertain about trying this for the first time for a family picnic, but thanks to the other reviews, I was convinced I had to try it. And I am sure glad I did!!! I love the unique flavors and fruits combined with fresh salad greens. Definitely adding to my recipe box!
This salad was a great change of pace and was relatively easy to make. I would definitely make it again - even my mother-in-law enjoyed it and she is a very simple eater who doesn't like to try too many things outside of what she knows. Next time I would decrease the dijon in the dressing b/c the taste was too strong for my liking.
With regard to the cashews: I like subtle Indian flavors, so intead of the curry powder I used 1/2 t. garam masala and 1/2 t. tandoori masala with only 1/8 t. cayenne. The cashews were WONDERFUL--even plain.
I am definitely on the "awesome" train of thought over this, and I somehow didn't even notice that there was supposed to be bacon in it! My other change, and I highly recommend it when they're in season, is that I substitute fresh peaches for the other fruit. SO good!!
Six thumbs up! I followed the recipe as written then added chicken breast pan fried with a bit of the dressing for flavor. The addition of chicken was to satisfy my husband's need for protein; it was an amazing salad with or without the chicken. Whenever I try a new recipe I ask whether it is a thumbs up recipe, that is, should I make it again or not? The answer: six thumbs up!
This is easily one of the bet salads I have ever had. Brought it to a dinner party and they cleaned the bowl. The spice is perfect.
I made this last night for company, it was so good everyone couldn't stop raving about it. It does have a little bite to it but the sweetness of it compliments each other. Love it!! Didn't change anything.
I thought this salad was really strong. It's good, but strong. I served it with Macadamia encrusted sea bass in mango cream sauce and it over-powered the fish dish. DH liked it, but I think that if I make it again I will need to cut down on the cayenne pepper a bit. The fruit cuts some of the spiciness, but it was still too strong for me.
Very good, but too salty for my taste. Next time, I'll cut the salt to 1/4 tsp, maybe even just 1/8 tsp... I used a whole pear and 1/3 cup crasins instead of grapes. I also added 1/3 cup feta cheese.
I made this for a church gathering, and got raves from everyone. The dish came home empty - so it doesn't get any better than that. The only change was using an apple instead of pear. This is definitely a keeper.
Yummy, i made it for thanksgiving and it was just incredible. Very nice presentation too
I made this salad for a pot luck at work and everyone loved it. I toasted the cashews in the oven, reduced the oil and added dried cranberries. The flavors were amazing! I can't wait to make it again for Thanksgiving!
A friend served this at a dinner party and my husband and I thought it was delicious, so I made it for my vegetarian daughter and son-in-law the following week. They think it is the BEST salad they have ever tasted! I have made it two more times, once without currying the cashews for picky eaters who thought it was wonderful. I did not have any grapes the last time I made it so used nectarines I had on hand and they were terrific. I apprecited the comment about toning down the spices for people who are not as into ethnic flavors as we are. Will definitely make this salad again and again.
Delicious! I loved the cashews & so did my parrot! I was worried about the rosemary, but loved the taste it added. I went a little "light" on the spices, but used the full amount of brown sugar. I'll use the full amount of spices next time. I couldn't quit eating the nuts (so many I had to toast more!) Thanks for a different salad - I think grapes are a great summer ingredient!
Oh my. This is fantastic- the cashews send this over the edge! I did omit the bacon (not a fan of that texture in salad( and instead of white wine vinegar I used balsamic vinegar (same measurement) and instead of olive oil I used vegetable oil. YUM! I will make this again!!
Everyone loved this. The nuts were the biggest hit, followed by the dressing. I cut the curry powder and cayenne in half because I'm a spice whimp. Folks commented that the nuts are good enough to make and serve as a party snack all by themselves. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
This salad was tasty enough, quick and easy to make, so I guess I'll give it 4 stars. Frankly though, I don't see what all the hype is about. It's good but it isn't THAT good. Everyone that tasted it felt the same, and couldn't care less whether or not I make it again. Oh well.
This salad is AMAZING! I followed the recipe exact, with the exception of adding *more bacon* (I used a maple bacon, about hlaf of the pkg)... for convenience I toasted the cashews in the oven at 350 for just over 10 minutes while I cooked the bacon. The dressing is very good! it would also be a great basting sauce for chicken or pork on the grill... It is a impressive salad, with a bit of a spicy kick. I tossed the salad with the nuts/dressing, but left the pears out. I put the salad on each plate, then added the pears in slices ontop of each serving.. about 3 fanned-out slices. makes for a nice presentation. Served the salad with 'Savory Garlic Marinated Steaks' from this site and mini roasted potatoes. the salad went FAST.. people were squabbeling over who got the last bit.. excellent, thanks so much!! definite keeper :))
The good salad, indeed! That's what my family has take to calling it as well. Perfect for summer barbecues or Thanksgiving.
Had this for the first time tonight and wow, this is one of the best salads we have ever tasted. Perfect for entertaining, lots of flavor, will definitely be having again.
Wonderful! Took it to a friends dinner party - it was a huge hit. So many wonderful flavors come together so nicely! Going to make it again tomorrow and add some grilled chicken for dinner. A complete meal.
WOW! What a fabulous salad. My husband and I both loved it and will eat it again, and again. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
So yummy! This is going to become a regular in our house. I substituted Morningstar meatless bacon for the real stuff, since we're vegetarians--it worked well. Served with the Curried Butternut Squash and Pear Soup from this site.
We are always looking for different salads to eat and this one was just perfect. I shook my head when I saw the ingredients for the cashews but I followed to a "T" and they were amazing! Dressing was perfect. Thanks for sharing this recipe - will definitely be having over and over again!
Dude. I have 5 boys to feed and they LOVED this salad! It tastes like Summertime! I copied other reviewers and only used 1/4 cup olive oil - it was plenty. This will go on our menu AT LEAST monthly. Just REALLY a good salad!
I love this dish! I'm a huge fan of spicy foods and the cashews added the kick to the salad while the fruit balanced it out. I used veggie bacon (faken) as well as some veggie chicken. I also added some apple slices and dried pomegranate cranberries. The recipe on its own was wonderful. My addition to it was solely based on my taste. Kudos to the chef!
This was a very nice salad, but I wouldn't slice the pears too thinly. They got a little soggy in my salad. I didn't slice the grapes. The fresh rosemary probably could have been substituted for dry to make one less item from the store. Otherwise, a fine blend of tastes for my dinner party.
Yummy!!!!!!!! My husband and I wanted to try and change the kind of salads that we eat for dinner and this salad is delicious. I love the mixture of flavors between the honey and the cayenne pepper. You must try!
Thank you, Christya! Like so many cooks, I changed ingredients to suit my needs. I don't eat mammals, so there was no bacon or meat substitute in mine. All the other substitutions were based on what was in my pantry: instead of cashews, I used walnuts; instead of rosemary, I used tarragon (dried!); instead of kosher salt I used regular salt. And it was delicious! Next time I'll try it with the original ingredients (except for the bacon), and I bet that'll be delicious as well! It was surprisingly easy and quick to make (and clean up after, although that might not be the case with the bacon). Worthy of being on a menu at a nice restaurant. I'll make it at my next social gathering, and I know everyone will be impressed.
Absolutely delicious! I didn't have any fresh bacon, so I used real bacon pieces and they worked just fine.
This salad was a hit at our dinner party. I substituted real bacon bits for the bacon to save time and so I didn't have to dirty another pan. Highly recommended.
Can I give 5-plus on the stars?! The compliments never stopped coming! I will be making this one for a long time to come. Thank you soooooo much for the creative, well-balanced salad.
I served this salad at a recent luncheon and it was the best. I followed the recipe exactly as stated and I wouldn't change a thing about it. The salad can be presented beautifully...i.e. fan 3 or 5 thinly sliced pear slices on the top before serving.
This is always a hit with my family and friends. Took it to an office covered dish today. All gone! If you like an interesting salad, this is certainly it!
Erm...erm..... I made this for the family, but ate the whole bowl by myself... its devine!
This was an excellent salad. I loved all the different textures and flavors in this and how well they all went together. The salad dressing wasn't much by itself but it was mellow and sweet and paired so well with the hot spicy cashews. I used bacon flavored bits instead. I cut the olive oil in half for the dressing and used red curry powder for the cashews. Boy were they ever hot and spicy! The sweet dressing cools their heat some. This is restaurant quality. So delicious.
Oh my gosh is this good! I did make a few changes. I left out the bacon as it seems a bit too much here. I melted the butter in a small pan then added the cashews, curry powder, brown sugar and cayenne. I substituted fresh basil for rosemary,then let it all come together. The kitchen smelled heavenly! Also added a bit of chopped fresh basil to the salad so every few bites you get this hit of basil with grape or pear. Please give that a try, it really is fantastic. This is going in regular rotation and can't wait to spring it on my MIL!
The different flavors in this recipe are great! The cashews are pretty delicious, I may consider just making them separate to snack on! My only complaint is the salad-to-dressing ratio. Needs either more salad or less dressing.
fantastic! took to a ladies christmas luncheon and everyone loved it. i used bartlett pears and basalmic vinegar (i didn't have any white wine vinegar) and it tasted wonderful! i bet it is even better with the correct ingredients.
This was good but some bites had a very strong flavor of something not so great. I think it was maybe too much curry on the cashews. I will definitely try it again and update my rating if it's better. The pear was a great touch and next time I will use at least 2.
Awesome!! I used sunflower seeds instead of cashews and turkey sausage instead of bacon (that's what I had on hand) and boy was it good! This salad has the perfect combination of spicy and tart, soft and crunchy. Even my husband (who isn't exactly a salad lover) went back for seconds. Bravo!! :)
It was excellent. I added a little chicken to it to make a main meal. So many salads taste the same after a while but the taste & texture was deliciously unique! It will be a great salad when we have guests!
This recipe is AWESOME! Hands down the best salad ever. I love it just the way it is...No changing anything.
Stellar!! I'm a vegan so I substituted agave nectar for the honey and left out the bacon but added about 1 tsp. of liquid smoke to the dressing and used vegan margarine instead of butter. The candied cashews are amazing on their own but may be too spicy for some guests (I suggest cutting the amount of cayenne in half).
We loved this salad, but next time will make two changes. First, this is a very flavorful salad and I didn't think bacon was really necessary. I never really tasted it in the salad (and this is coming from someone that believes everything is better with bacon). Second, I'm not a huge fan of curry. Next time I will eliminate this and I think it will be just as tasty without it. Thanks, we will make this many more times.
Made this for a block party over the 4th of July weekend. Turned out very well. I used red wine vinegar because thats all I had in the cupboard. It was a big hit and it was the only healthy dish at the table. I quadrupled the recipe and it was gone within 30 minutes. I will definitely make this again.
This is excellent! I thought it would fall flat with so few ingrediants but I was so wrong. I toasted the cashews in the oven and everything came out perfect.
Good! I liked it a lot! The nuts had a good taste to them (maybe a tad too spicy for me, but I'm a major wimp when it comes to spices) and worked well with the grape + pear combo. Yum!
Awesome salad! I am a picky eater, but the combination of flavors in this one is out of this world.
Excellent, but the dressing was too much for the amount of lettuce I had so next time I'll halve the dressing or buy more lettuce
Loved it and will definitely make it again. The unusual flavor of the candied cashews really makes it special and the homemade dressing was wonderful!
Really delicious! Hubby and I just had it for lunch. The only downside for me is that this is a labor-intensive salad so I will simplify the dish next time. The bacon didn't add much so will leave that off in the future. Next time I'll use the butter for toasting the cashews and save a step that way. Used balsamic vinegar, vegetable oil, and regular mustard cause they were on hand and they worked fine.
Excellent, worth every single calorie! You will noly have to use half the dressing.
A good & interesting salad. I added garlic to the dressing as advised by another and only used 1 Tbsp of the mustard in the dressing.
Served this at a potluck and everyone loved it! Conversations would stop just to complement the salad and a couple of people asked for the recipe. This one is a keeper.
Excellent. I followed other readers' recommendations and decreased the pepper greatly and reduced the olive oil to 1/3 cup and added goat cheese. I used store bought bacon crumbles and decided I prefer the salad without bacon. I used Planter's lightly salted cashews and found 1/2 tsp of salt to be too much and I will leave it out next time. I am looking forward to sharing this salad at summer reunions.
This was just delicious! I didn't make the dressing as I had a newman's honey mustard dressing in the house and I only had turkey bacon in the house. I also added some seasoned grilled chicken to this to make this a complete meal, with a garlic cheese breadstick on the side. I can't wait to have the leftovers!
This was SO wonderful!!!!! Everyone loved it - even people who aren't real fond of salads had seconds. Incredible flavor! I tried it with and without the bacon and personally think it's just as good without it. Thanks!
Too much dressing and the curried cashews were too strong. Would be better to add more greens to dilute the flavor.
This was a great salad. One thing to note, the dry ingredients for the cashews should be mixed first, then pour the melted butter over the nuts, then pour the dry ingredients over the nuts. When I mixed it all at the same time, the great seasoning clumped together because of the butter, instead of coating the nuts well. Super tasty still!
