Arugula and Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts

4.19.10

Getting back to the non-meat week like I mentioned in the last post, I have to admit that I'm not doing a very good job of it. =) However, I've been purchasing better meat and eating less meat overall. This salad is one of the menu items. It's fast but flavorful! Yes, it falls into the back-to-basics-non-cooking style if you remember the prosciutto dish.

I love the tangy savory flavor of arugula, the sweetness of pear, and crunchiness of walnuts. The vinegar dressing gives you a kick when you bite in to it. In fact, you can substitute any kind of nuts you like. I got the recipe from Cooking Light Magazine. It offers you a wide array of recipes that you can adapt to your style easily. I've been playing around with the recipes they offer and been cooking/baking like crazy to get the best use out of it.

Speaking of salad, some of you may think salad is boring. For me, you can play so much with it. You can add anything you like...anything...It can be an appetizer or main course as you wish. The bonus point is the low carbs. Well, just watch out how much dressing you put on. The dressing could have more calories than the salad itself!

Arugula and Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon minces shallots
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoon of white wine vinegar (you can substitute with a vinegar you have on hands. White wine vinegar works well with pear)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups baby arugula leaves
2 Bosc pears, thinly sliced (I added more than 2 pears because I like its taste)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions:

• Combine minced shallots, oil, vinegar, salt, mustard, and pepper in a salad bowl. Stir well with a wisk
• Add arugula and pears to the dressing
• Toss well to coat
• You can sprinkle half of walnuts in a salad bowl and sprinkle some on each serving.
• Enjoy your salad!