Asian pear, English cucumber – this salad is like the U.N. of Autumn appetizers. I love creating new combos of yummy salad ingredients – mixing the crisp, fruity flavor of the Asian pear with the earthiness of roasted beets and sweet crunchiness from the candied nuts makes for a truly satisfying salad experience.
Want to take this salad up a notch? Sprinkle some goat cheese crumbles on top if you are serving with a dairy meal.
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Ingredients
1/2 pound mixed greens (about 1 large bag)
2 small beets, scrubbed clean and trimmed
1 Asian pear
1/2 seedless English cucumber
1/4 red onion
1/4 cup chopped candied walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap each beet in small piece of foil, and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
Peel skin away from beets and slice into thin rounds or half moons.
Thinly slice Asian pear, cucumber and red onion.
In a large bowl toss greens, pear, cucumber, red onion and candied nuts together.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in extra virgin olive oil.
Toss salad with dressing until coated evenly and serve.
