Spinach, Beet, and Pear Salad with Raspberry Mustard Vinaigrette

 

Did I mention that I bought a lot of lettuce? Yeah. I bought a three-pack of hearts of Romaine, a head of iceberg lettuce, and a bag of baby spinach. I outfoxed myself by storing it all neatly in the vegetable crisper rather than scattering it recklessly around the fridge. As a consequence, I thought I needed lettuce, so I went to the grocery store and I bought a three-pack of hearts of Romaine, a head of iceberg lettuce, and, you guessed it, a bag of baby spinach. That’s a lot of greenery.

To keep things from getting routine in the salads that I’ve been having every day (and honestly, if it would help get rid of the lettuce, I would have one at breakfast), I’ve been experimenting with different ingredients. As is the case with most salads, the dressing is the star of the show, but this combination of ingredients is not only delicious, but it is highly nutritious with the spinach, beets, walnuts, and pears. It’s also beautiful, and makes a lovely presentation.Spinach, Beet, and Pear Salad with Raspberry Mustard Vinaigrette

Salad:
Fresh baby spinach
1 Melissa’s Bartlett pear, peeled and thinly sliced.
1 8-oz. pkg. Melissa’s steamed baby beets, thinly sliced.
Handful of broken walnuts
Blue cheese, as much as you like

Raspberry Mustard Vinaigrette:
¼ c. canola oil
¼ c. raspberry balsamic vinegar
2 T. grated shallot
1 T. raspberry jam

1 t. Dijon mustard
1 t. sugar
Pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients into a mini food processor, and process until emulsified. If you don’t have a mini food processor, you need to get one. You can use them for so many things, and they make salad dressing like nobody’s business. When you use one of these to make salad dressing, it quickly emulsifies, and stays emulsified; there is no separation in the fridge.

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