Grilled Pear and Toasted Walnut Salad tossed in Honey Dijon Herbs de Provence Vinaigrette

I know, this title’s quite a mouthful and sounds so Tres magnifique- ultra-fancyish but this salad is actually very simple. I had my first taste of herbs de Provence (“a mixture of dried herbs from Provence, France invented in the 1970s”-according to Wikipedia) this past Christmas Eve over at a long time family friend (and my namesake) Marie’s house. They sure livened up grilled potatoes fantastically and I was anxious to try the herbs in a recipe of my own. Just a pinch adds a unique bit of flavor to the light honey Dijon dressing served over the slightly warmed, sweet grilled pears and crunchy walnuts in this winter salad.

Salad

Ingredients:

2 medium pears (d’ Anjou, Bosc both work well)
2.5 ounces salad greens, about 5 lightly packed cups (field greens or baby lettuce mix suggested)
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
ICB spray or olive oil using olive oil sprayer (if both n/a use a teaspoon of olive oil)

Directions:

Put the lettuce in a large salad bowl and chill in the fridge while preparing the pears and the dressing. Cut the pears vertically into ¼ inch wedges and put in a medium pan sprayed with ICB or olive oil- lightly drizzled or sprayed on to the pan using the olive oil sprayer, and put on high heat. Warm the slices until they are lightly browned, about 5-8 minutes each side. Remove the pears from the pan and set aside. Throw the walnuts in the pan just used to cook the pears and toast for a few minutes on high heat. Put the pears and the nuts over the salad greens and then toss well with the dressing (recipe listed below).

Dressing

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons oil
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard (*use a gluten-free brand such as Trader Joes if you are on a gluten-free diet)
2 teaspoons honey
3 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon herbs de Provence

Directions:

Put all of the above listed ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until mixed well. Toss with the salad greens and serve, or refrigerate in an airtight container if it will not be used immediately.

Makes about 5 cups, four servings

Serving size: 1 + 1/4 cups salad (tossed with dressing) Calories 130 Protein 1g Carb 17 g Fiber 2 g Sugars 11g Fat 6.5 g saturated fat <1 g Sodium 74 mg