Mixed Greens with Creole Mustard Vinaigrette

A salad has no business being boring. That's the first thing I tell folks who think Louisiana cooking is all gumbo and fried catfish. We eat our greens down here, and we make them worth eating.

This vinaigrette is built on Creole mustard, that coarse-ground beauty with whole mustard seeds that pop between your teeth. It's got more personality in one spoonful than most dressings have in the whole bottle. The tang cuts through rich food like nobody's business, which is why I serve this at Lagniappe alongside our heavier dishes. My grandmother Evangeline always said a proper meal needs something fresh to balance all that richness. She was right about most things.

The pecans aren't optional. They're Louisiana's gift to the salad bowl. Toast them until your kitchen smells like fall, and they'll reward you with a buttery crunch that makes every bite interesting. This is the salad that earns you compliments at the church potluck and requests for the recipe at family reunions. It looks simple on the plate, but that dressing does all the talking.