Maple Cinnamon Roasted Pear Salad with Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette
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Serves: Pears serve 8 /salad serves 1
 
Ingredients
For the Maple Cinnamon Roasted Pears:
  • 4 Bosc pears
  • ½ lemon
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • ½ C pure maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • small pinch kosher salt
For the Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette:
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp 0% greek yogurt
  • 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
  • 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp good quality olive oil
  • 2 C arugula
  • ¼ C toasted walnuts
  • 2 Tbsp blue cheese or gorgonzola
  • 2 Tbsp dried cherries or cranberries
Instructions
For the Maple Cinnamon Roasted Pears:
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel the pears with a vegetable peeler and cut in half lengthwise. Use a melon scooper to scoop out the core. Rub all sides of the pear with the half lemon and place in a large casserole dish cored side up.
  2. In a small saucepan over medium heat melt coconut oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Heat until melted and sugar is dissolved - about 3 minutes.
  3. Spoon the syrup over the pears and bake 30 minutes. Turn the oven to broil for the last 1-2 minutes, careful not to burn.
  4. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  5. While the pears are roasting assemble the salad dressing.
For the Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette:
  1. Using a food processor, blender, or immersion blender - add all ingredients except olive oil and process until smooth, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and continue to process until incorporated. This makes ½ C dressing, use desired amount for the salad and store the remainong dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  2. Assemble the salad with the pear on top of a bed of arugula sprinkled with the walnuts, blue cheese and dried cherries and drizzled with the creamy balsamic vinaigrette.
Recipe by Good Thyme Kitchen at https://www.goodthymekitchen.com/maple-cinnamon-roasted-pear-salad-with-creamy-balsamic-vinaigrette/