Spinach Salad with a Pear Citrus Vinaigrette

The Unexpected-A word of warning-never never leave a scarecrow unattended for a few days. Much to my surprise after a weekend in the cities recently I returned to find Mr. Scarecrow wounded but still standing. Despite losing his arms and some of his guts he bravely carried on his guard duty while keeping a smile on his face. My friend Deb and I made up this little ditty in his honor. 

Mr. Scarecrow
sentry on a stick
keeping watch
this fine autumn day.
Wounded
with shredded guts
flapping in the wind.

A pasted smile
trying to be brave
but only wishing
for his former self.

Spinach Pear Salad drizzled with Pear Citrus Vinaigrette
Cook's Notes: Pear slices, cucumbers, toasted walnuts, Gorgonzola crumbles, and pomegranate seeds liven up a simple spinach salad. Don't skip the step of toasting pecans as lightly toasting them brings out their flavor. Use ripe pears for this recipe. When in doubt at the grocery store buy pears a little less ripe. Place in a paper bag for a day or two to ripen. Salad ingredients are enough for 2 large salads
Salad Ingredients:

• 1/2 bag of small bag of baby spinach leaves
• 1- 2 Bosc or Anjou pear skinned and diced
• Cheese crumbles, Blue Cheese, Feta, Goat, Gorgonzola
• Toasted pecans
• Pomegranate seeds (arils) or fresh raspberries
• Sliced cucumbers or avocados

Pear Citrus Vinaigrette
Cook's notes: A wonderfully sweet and zesty salad dressing featuring pears, juice of orange and fresh basil. This dressing goes well with a salad that features crumbles of blue cheese, feta or goat, pears, and toasted pecans or walnuts. Making your own dressing would be my first choice as it is healthier but running a close second is a healthy dressing from Traders Joes called Champagne Pear Vinaigrette (2 tablespoons = 45 calories). Recipe from thepescetarianandthepig.com

Dressing Ingredients

• ½ ripe Bosc or Anjou pear, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup juice from ½ small orange (such as a tangelo or valencia orange)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or Blood Orange Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 5 fresh basil leaves
• Fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste

Dressing Directions:

• In a blender, food processor, or Magic Bullet, mix all ingredients together until frothy.
• Serve over salad.
• Store extra dressing in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.