Baby Spinach With Nut Crusted Mozzarella

A lovely Asian/Italian fusion salad!

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  cups pecans, toasted or 2  cups  almonds or 2  cups walnuts or 2  cups cashews
• 3⁄4 teaspoon seasoning salt, divided
• 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1  large egg
• 1  tablespoon milk
• 1  lb fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 8 (1/4 "thick)
•  salt
•  fresh ground black pepper
• 1⁄2 cup olive oil, plus
• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1  medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 2  tablespoons  minced scallions
• 1  tablespoon  minced garlic
• 1⁄4 cup  rice wine vinegar
• 1  tablespoon honey
• 8  cups fresh spinach, washed thoroughly, tough stems removed, torn into bite size pieces

Directions

1. In a food processor, finely chop the pecans. Add 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt and 1/2 cup of the flour to form a coarse meal. Set aside.
2. In a shallow bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup flour with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt. Set aside.
3. To make the egg wash, whisk the egg and milk together in another shallow bowl; set aside.
4. Season both sides of the cheese slices with salt and pepper. Dredge each slice in the flour, lightly shaking off any excess, then dip each slice in the egg wash, allowing any extra to drip off; then dredge the slices in the pecan meal to coat both sides. Set aside for several minutes to allow the coating to "set".
5. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they caramelize, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the scallions and garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Whisk in 1/2 cup of olive oil, the vinegar, and the honey. Season with salt and black pepper and remove from the heat. Set aside.
6. In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Saute the cheese in the pan until the crust is golden, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.
7. Mix the spinach with the caramelized onion/honey dressing and season with salt and pepper, if you like.
8. To serve, divide the greens into 4 equal portions in the center of 4 salad plates. Arrange 2 slices of cheese around the greens on each plate. Enjoy!