Pear and Ginger Salad

On point with flavour in another autumn salad. Pears, candied pecans, goat cheese and the peppery flavour of the arugula pair so well together in this harvest salad.

I always forget how much I love salad until I actually put the effort into making a good one. And once it’s been made you realize how easy it was to make a salad taste so good.

Using a mix of arugula and spinach as the base of this salad gives you great flavour already. Adding the sweetness of pears and candied pecans, the creaminess of the goat cheese and a little heat from the red onion. Drizzling a delicious and easy ginger vinaigrette on top of this salad finishes off this tasty salad.

You can add grilled chicken to the salad to make it more of a meal.

Pear and Ginger Salad

Ingredients:

For salad

- 4 cups baby spinach

- 4 cups arugula

- 2 Bartlett pears, sliced

- 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced

- 1/3 cup candies pecan (toast pecans with tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar)

- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

- a sprinkle of fresh ground pepper

For Ginger vinaigrette

- 1/2 cup olive oil

- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

- 1 tablespoon maple syrup

- 3 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced

- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a mason jar, cover with lid and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds to fully emulsify the vinaigrette.

2. In a wide, flat bowl mix together spinach and arugula. Top with sliced pears, red onion, candied pecans and crumbled goat cheese.

3. Drizzle salad with ginger vinaigrette and sprinkle with fresh ground pepper. And serve!

Salads are amazing and I like to think of salad greens like spinach and arugula as a blank canvas. Endless toppings and endless vinaigrettes make salads such a versatile and important part of eating well balanced meals.

The best part.... salads rarely take longer than 15 minutes to put together which is great when you need a delicious side or light supper made quick!

Enjoy!

Recipes and more will always be posted on my Instagram @kaylieped Facebook page Food Diaries and Pinterest page Food Diaries