Warm Spinach Salad with Carmelized Pear and Onion

Salads are harder to incorporate into your diet during the harsh winter months, but an easy fix is a wilted salad! The flavor of this salad is only enhanced by the vegan Gruyere and vegan Parmesan, and this tasty enhancement also adds vital proteins. I have added links to these recipes, and they make great staples to keep in your fridge. However, they may be omitted if you don’t have any on hand.

Here is a little history on the “Brown Pears” sold in your local market:

The Beurre Bosc pear is the commonly sold type of brown skinned pear. It is named after Monsieur Bosc, an 18th century french ‘pomologist’ who worked in the orchard area where this type was later developed.

In the original French, Beurre has an accent on the final e. There are many other French developed pears with this word in the name, eg ‘Beurre d’Anjou’, it means ‘buttery’.

The Beurre bosc is good as both an eating and a cooking pear. There are various named cultivars of Beurre Bosc pear.

For 2 servings:

-1 Beurre Bosc Pear, julienne (long and thin slices, think shoe string fries)

-1 large shallot (other onions may be substituted, but shallots work best)

-1 teaspoon chopped ginger

- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

-1 teaspoon Olive oil

-2 Large Handfuls of fresh baby spinach

-Dollap Vegan Gruyere http://myculinaryconfessions.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/vegan-gruyere-cheeze/

-Sprinkling of Vegan Parmesan. http://myculinaryconfessions.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/parmasean-cheeze/

Place the first 5 ingredients in a warm skillet and cook over medium heat until the onions start to become clear in color. Stir in the Gruyere (optional). Add the handfulls of spinach and toss lightly. Be wary not to leave the spinach in too long as it will start to wilt too much, and no longer be a salad. Serve immediatly with a sprinkle of Vegan Parmesan or nutrional yeast.

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Posted in dinner, Uncategorized
Tags: gruyere, onion, parmesan, pear, recipe, salad, spinach, vegan, wilted