Arugula Salad with Pears, Goat Cheese and Walnuts

familystylefood.com
serves 4
A simple and beautiful arugula salad everyone will love – a tasty arugula salad with pears, toasted walnuts, two kinds of cheese (blue and goat) and red onion all tossed in a light, lemony, honey dressing.
Ingredients
Dressing

2 tablespoons chopped shallot, about 1
1 garlic clove, chopped
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Salad

5 ounces prewashed arugula greens
⅓ cup thinly sliced red onion
1 green or red pear, cored and sliced into 1/4″ half-moons
⅓ cup toasted walnuts*
2 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
½ cup mixed micro-sprouts, optional
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation
To make the dressing

Combine all ingredients in a blender or mini food processor until very smooth. Note: The dressing can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. Keep it refrigerated in a sealed container.

To make the salad

Put the greens in a large bowl or on a platter. Top with the remaining ingredients.
Drizzle with 2 or 3 tablespoons of the dressing and toss gently to coat. Serve the salad with additional dressing to taste on the side.

Notes

Toss the salad just before serving so the greens don’t become soggy.
To toast walnuts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake 10-12 minutes, until the nuts are light golden brown.
If you don’t have a small food processor (or a blender) whisk the ingredients in a bowl, adding the oil last in a steady stream while you whisk.