Pear and Goat Cheese Salad with Creamy Tarragon Dressing
Deliciously Healthy Pear and Goat Cheese Salad Recipe with Creamy Tarragon Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup non-fat greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp avocado oil mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 4 tsp dried tarragon (or 4 tbsp fresh tarragon)
- 1 pear sliced
- 12 cups spring mix greens
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- DRESSING RECIPE: You can make this recipe with a high powered blender and a food processor, but today I’m using my KitchenAid Hand Blender with Chopping Attachment. This recipe makes 4 servings of dressing.
- In the Blender pitcher, combine 1 cup greek yogurt. 1 tbsp avocado oil mayonnaise. 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, roughly 2 tsp honey, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground pepper. Use just the splash guard portion of the lid and put that on. Use the blending arm attachment to make this perfectly pureed.
- Use the chopper accessory for the other ingredients. First we unplug our motor before we change attachment pieces. Then remove the blending arm by twisting until it unlocks and pulling up. Set it safely to the side. Now we assemble our chopper accessory. Insert the Chopper blade into Chopper bowl. Let's add our ingredients into it. For best results, cut the food items into 3/4" pieces. So, we are adding 1 shallot, which I will cut in half. I clove of garlic, which should be fine. Now add either 4 tbsp fresh tarragon or 4 tsp of dried tarragon spice. We will be using 4 tsp of dried tarragon. Secure the lid by twisting to lock. Press the variable speed controller to start chopping. You will do this in several short bursts until you reach your desired consistency. When done, remove and unplug the motor body, set it safely to the side. Twist the lid in the opposite direction to unlock. Carefully remove the blade and set it safely to the side.
- Use a silicone spatula to remove all the contents of the chopper bowl and transfer them to the blender pitcher with our wet mix. Gently mix the wet and dry mix together by hand. Store salad dressing in an airtight, covered container. Now your dressing is ready to add to your pear and goat cheese salad. So let's assemble that.
- SALAD RECIPE: Slice 1 pear into uniform pieces. You can do this by hand, but I’m using the KitchenAid Fruit and Vegetable Spiralizer Attachment with the large core slicing blade to create uniform slices.
- After slicing, to avoid browning, you'll want to put these pear slices directly into a solution of cold water and 1-2 tbsp of lemon juice. Make sure they are completely covered. Let soak completely for 5 minutes. Then remove the slices and dry them completely. Cut our large pear spirals right down the middle to create perfectly uniform pear half slices.
- Now, I am going to reveal two ways to assemble this salad. One is for meal prep. The other is for premium presentation.
- Assembly for Meal Prep: Use 4 smaller, covered airtight containers. Then divide the following ingredients equally into each container. 12 cups spring mix greens. 1/2 chopped red onion. 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1 sliced pear, 8 oz goat cheese. So per salad, that's roughly 3 cups of spring mix greens, 1/8 chopped red onion, 1/8 chopped walnuts, and 2 oz of goat cheese. Now Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to add salad dressing to each of them.
- Assembly for Premium Presentation: you will want to assemble your salad after the dressing is made (a perfectly paired creamy tarragon dressing recipe is linked in the text above this recipe). Add your mixed greens into a colorful medium sized bowl, if you have one available. This will be for each individual serving (there will be 4 servings total). Pour 1/4 of the tarragon dressing recipe in and delicately toss the salad. The reason we use a colorful bowl is because the salad itself has very few pops of color. So having a colorful bowl makes it feel more cheerful and elevated. Next, you wipe the insides of the bowl down, to minimize the mess. Then add only 4 pear slices so that the greens pop through. Then add the walnuts, red onion, and closer to 1 oz of goat cheese. Pull some of the greens out so they can be seen. And voila, you now have a pear and goat cheese salad that's ready to serve at your next dinner party.
Notes
Note: You can store your salads (undressed) for up to 3 days in an airtight container until ready to use and they should keep well. If adding the dressing directly to the greens first for premium presentation, please do so as close to serving as possible, because the spring greens will begin to lilt the longer your wait.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 122kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 8gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 696mgPotassium: 418mgFiber: 2gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1469IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 104mgIron: 2mg