Palm Springs Date Salad with Goat Cheese, Candied Pecans + Citrus Vinaigrette
This Date Salad with Goat Cheese, Candied Pecans and Citrus Vinaigrette is a refreshingly tangy-and-sweet summer dish. I like to serve this over baby spinach leaves or mixed greens for a delicious lunch or light supper when it's too hot to grill or cook indoors.
Puree all of the vinaigrette ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor or blender. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the oil and blend until the dressing is emulsified. Pour into a jar or Tupperware container and refrigerate until ready to use. Shake well before using.
Assemble the Salad
Place the greens in a large salad bowl. Top with the quinoa, dates, goat cheese and candied pecans.
Toss with citrus vinaigrette (to your taste) and serve cold.
Notes
We discovered this mixed greens date salad during a trip to the Hyatt Regency in Indian Wells, and enjoyed it so much that we've had it on repeat during our weekly recipe rotation. If you can, be sure to use real Palm Springs dates. Two of our favorite places for dates are Hadley's Orchards and Shield's Date Garden in Indio. (And while you're there, don't miss out on one of their famous date shakes!