A little while ago I set upon a challenge to produce some delicious salad recipes to post on my recipe page, using fresh and seasonal produce. By the summer time there will a collection of lovely and tasty salads that I have tried and tested and for you to enjoy.
You may remember my first sexy salad:
Yesterday I experimented with a classic and simple combination of flavours, but changed it up a little…
Grilled Pear and Goat’s Cheese Salad
You cannot beat a classic!
Ingredients
-
Batavia lettuce leaves
-
French beans
-
1 pear
-
chopped almonds
-
goat’s cheese
-
cranberries
First chop the peat into strips, taking care to remove the core. Place on a griddle pan until the natural sugars in the pear begin to caramelise and grill marks begin to appear- turn off the heat. Steam the French beans in the microwave by adding a few tablespoons of water to a bowl with the beans and cover the bowl with cling film. Microwave for a few minutes so that the beans are tender, but still have some bite.
The next bit is easy peasy- assemble the salad! Sprinkle on the goat’s cheese, cranberries and chopped almonds in whatever quantities you like.
Now this would be a delicious salad as it is, but a tangy and simple salad dressing really brings it to life!
Ingredients
-
3 tbsp of canola oil (or any oil of your preference)
-
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
-
1 tbsp of red wine vinegar
-
2 tbsp of lemon juice
-
1/2 a clove of grated garlic
-
1 tbsp of honey (I used RAW Health Acacia Blossom Honey)
-
seasonings
Simply whisk up the ingredients until the oil has emulsified and season to taste.
I really enjoyed this salad and the fact that it is so quick and easy to make was a bonus. With this particular salad I was aiming to use ingredients that I usually have in my cupboard or fridge on a regular basis. Something that can be whipped up in minutes and still taste great!
The sweetness of the cranberries and the pear, with the creamy goat’s cheese, fresh leaves and tangy dressing is delicious. This salad may be very simple, but the bold flavours definitely make it sexy!
What foods do you always have stashed in your cupboards without fail? Do you have any favourite classic flavour combinations?
Cheese and dried fruit is pretty much my favorite flavor combo right now, so I am drooling over this!
I think cheese with anything is good, especially with dried fruits! 😛
I’ve never been big on salads, prefer my veg cooked! But your pictures, brilliant as always, might juuuusssst make me reconsider 🙂
Hmmm, always in my cupboards is chocolate, oats, almond butter, garlic, chocolate… and chocolate raisins…!
One of my favourite-ever combos is almond butter and banana – heaven!
Almond butter is amzing on a banana, and PB too! Your cupboard staples are great- you can make so many tasty things with just those!
This looks really delicious! I’ve never really bothered to make my own exciting salads..I don’t know why! I love roasted veggies too much I think. But in the past I have had some really nice ones bought out. My favourite one was a ‘festive lentil’ one that I had in Paris over the Christmas time which was lentils in apple cider vinegar with shredded apple and fresh pomegranate seeds and dried cranberries over spinach. It was lovely..I should really make it at home!
The salads sound divine and has so many things that I love in t!
Those pears look really good and interesting, I’ve never had it on a salad before!
It was delicious!! 😀
love the sexing up salads;) I have a ton of “staples” that I always need on hand!
Its good to have cupboard staples, tat way you know that you are not far away from a yummy meal!
Pear and goats cheese is divine! I always have tinned tomatoes, coconut milk and silken tofu in my cupboards at all times!
Cool staples!!! I love coconut milk especially in a curry or a thai soup.
Your salads look amazing!!
Staples for me are nut butters, chocolate, broccoli/spinach and dates. I should try making a salad out of THAT! 😀
PB+Jam. The ultimate combo. But I don’t think a PB+J salad would taste all that good…! 😛
ahh i love LOVE GRILLED PEARS!!!! i always have oats, beans and wraps!
Yum that looks so good!
My staples are boring- tinned tomatoes, tinned kidney and cannelini beans, and peppers and courgettes in the fridge. Oh, and about 100 types of nut butter! 🙂
Looks good & I love the cheese, pear & cran combo.
Yum!
Brilliant salad idea: I love savoury/sweet combinations too. I’ve been eating a lot of Laura’s recipe for butternut, fig, pine nut and lentil/bean salad recently.
In my cupboard…hmm, well, cocoa is always in there, and nutritional yeast, nut flours/nut butters, grains, pulses, beans….sounds uber-healthy but most of my chocolate is kept in the garage for optimum temperature enjoyment 😉
xxx
That salad looks amazing – it’s made me so hungry just looking at the photos!
My store cupboard staples are: all sorts of beans, pulses, grains and tinned tomatoes. I always have broccoli, courgette, leeks, carrots and spinach stashed away somewhere as well. Oh – and yoghurt.
Back when I ate cheese I used to LOVE pear and goats cheese salads, with walnuts sprinkled on top. Really great starter to impress non-veggies with too.
Staples for me: dried apricots, nut butters, coconut oil, chilli flakes. Oh, and coffee! 😀