Cranberry Avocado Salad with Candied Pecans & White Balsamic Vinaigrette

I found this salad while perusing Pinterest.  The original recipe is from keyingredient.com, but I have modified it slightly based on my family's tastes.  This is a nice substantial salad.  The original recipe makes WAY too much dressing....I made a half recipe of the below dressing and am still using it three salads later.

CRANBERRY AVOCADO SALAD WITH CANDIED PECANS & WHITE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

Recipe Notes

The original recipe calls for candied sliced almonds.  I used candied pecans in the below version.  I think that the dressing can do without the poppy seeds and sesame seeds if you'd like to exclude them, also.

Ingredients

• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1-1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds
• 1-1/2 tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. dried mustard
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 c. white balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 oz. baby spinach, arugula, or field greens (I used a combination of arugula and field greens)
• Chopped cilantro, to taste
• 1 medium avocado, peeled and sliced or chopped
• 1/2 c. dried cranberries
• 1/2 c. candied spiced pecans

Instructions

1.  Combine first 10 ingredients (sugar through olive oil) in a glass jar.  Shake well to emulsify.

2.  Combine greens, cilantro, avocado, cranberries, and pecans in a large bowl, toss with dressing to combine.  

Please note: dressing recipe above makes a very large batch of dressing.  Not all dressing will be needed for this recipe.  Save extra dressing for future use!