Autumn Salad with Pears, Pecans and Blue Cheese

Now that Fall is in full swing I thought this salad would be perfect to show my readers since it uses ripe pears, cranberries, pecans and a super easy home made balsamic dressing. You can eat this salad for a quick weeknight lunch or dinner or for a pot luck!

I love the different flavors that are going on in this salad. I love dishes that meld sweet,salty and tart. This salad has all three! I ended up finding candied pecans ( my new favorite snack) so I used them in the salad because they added a nice crunch and sweetness. If you prefer another type of nut feel free to use those. Walnuts would be nice too. I also used sugar free dries cranberries. Feel free to use crasins if they are easier to find.  I used unsweetened cranberries because the blue cheese and balsamic dressing add a nice sweetness to the salad that is not over powering.

I like this salad because you can omit whatever you don't like or have on hand and replace it with what you do. Goat cheese would be a nice choice in this salad if you didn't have any blue cheese on hand. Bottom line is go with flavors that play off each other.

Last but not least, let's talk about this dressing. I love making my own dressings at home because they are so easy and they don't have a bunch of additives like if you buy them in the grocery store. It is basically one part vinegar ( I used balsamic) to two parts olive oil. I always add dijon mustard to my dressings because it helps it emulsify and get nice and thick and creamy. Yum!

What is your favorite kind of Fall Salad?

Autumn Salad

Ingredients: 
2 cups of baby romaine
1/2 cup candied pecans
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Dressing
1/2 cup good balsamic vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil ( or less if you prefer)
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
salt & pepper to taste

Directions: 
1. Lay lettuce on a platter
2. Top salad with pecans, blue cheese and crasins
3. In a blender ( I used a magic bullet because it is small) and add all ingredients for dressing. Pulse 4 or 5 times to blend. Dressing should be thick.