Sweet Beet, Goat Cheese, and Brown Sugar Roasted Walnut Salad (Mother-in-Law Approved)

My Mother-in-Law invited us over on short notice and my well-meaning and helpful hubby volunteered me as the bringer of salad. I panicked. With two little ones at home a last minute grocery trip was out of the question and my refrigerator was literally almost empty with the exception of a few ingredients.
Somehow, it is always the times that I am working with limited ingredients that I am the most creative. I literally threw this salad together, inspired by some month-old beets I found in the bottom of my refrigerator. This salad was sooooooo delicious. My Mother-in-Law loved it, but I'm sure she thought I was putting her on with fake modesty when I told her I scraped it together with the last few ingredients left in my refrigerator....

P.S. Don't skip the nuts or even substitute pre-roasted ones as making them yourself a few hours before you serve the salad makes them the secret ingredient.

Sweet Beet, Goat Cheese and Brown Sugar Roasted Walnut Salad

1 medium raw grated beet
2 sliced small scallions
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 peeled and diced apple
4 cups baby spinach
1 cup brown sugar roasted walnuts (recipe below)

Dressing:

1/4 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP rice vinegar
1 TBSP honey
1 tsp lemon zest
1 TBSP lemon juice

Brown Sugar Roasted Walnuts

2 tsp egg white
1/2 tsp water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 275 degrees
2) Mix above ingredients together
3) Toss with 1 cup of walnuts (or other nut of choice)
4) Bake for 45 minutes

Assemble salad - topped with roasted walnuts - and drizzle the dressing on top a few moments before serving. This salad goes fantastic with a simple piece of broiled or pan-fried salmon, and is Mother-in-Law approved :)