There was a request for the Outback's Blue Cheese Chopped Salad on the forum today... it's been a couple of years since I had the salad myself, but I recall really enjoying it! The request set my tastebuds a'craving, so I put together this salad. We took it to a potluck today - I had two servings of it for lunch, and the husband and potluck attendees pronounced it great! :)
Slice each pecan half into three lengthwise pieces.
03Mix together the cinnamon and brown sugar.
04Toss pecans with melted butter, then with the cinnamon/sugar mixture, tossing well to ensure a thorough coating.
05Put the nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, until sugar is caramelized.
06Remove the baking sheet from the oven, slide the parchment together with the nuts off the sheet to cool, and set aside.
07Chop the lettuces into smallish bitesized pieces; use a salad spinner to wash and dry them.
08Slice the green onion.
09Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients.
10Place the chopped lettuce in a large serving bowl (one large enough to toss the salad in).
11Add the vinaigrette and toss thoroughly to coat.
12Sprinkle with the chopped onion.
13Break the cooled pecan slices apart and sprinkle them over the salad.
14Serve and enjoy!
15Note: if taking this to a picnic or potluck, make sure you prepare it just before you go or the lettuces will get a bit limp after a couple of hours - it'll still tastes good, though.