A Beautiful and Balanced Salad: Autumn Mixed Greens with Pear
We have a salad with almost every dinner. When autumn rolls around, I start adding pears, figs, roasted squash, and mushrooms in the mix.
All of the ingredients in this salad can be swapped out for whatever you have available. The basic equation = mixed greens + seasonal fruit + pungent cheese + nuts + apple cider vinaigrette.
In this version I used Trader Joe's goat cheese with candied cranberries and sesame crusted almonds. I would've loved blue cheese and walnuts as an alternative. I also added some grilled chicken.
Autumn Mixed Greens with Pears
Ingredients (serves 2)
3 handfuls mixed baby greens
1 Bosc pear, cored and sliced
1/2 cup chopped grilled chicken
2 oz crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup almonds
2 tblsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp honey
Salt and cracked pepper
3 tblsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot minced
1. In a large bowl, whisk honey with apple cider vinegar until dissolved. Whisk in salt and pepper to taste. In a slow, steady stream, whisk in olive oil. Stir in the shallots.
2. Fan out a few slices of the pear on the serving plates. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and gently toss to combine with the dressing. Plate the greens in the center of the pear slices.
