Roasted Pear & Arugula Salad

By Livvy Zimmerman
Yield 6 side salads

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe Anjou pears (or any pears you can find – I used Bartlett)
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1/2 cup apple cider (I used apple juice because that’s what I had on hand.)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 bag (6 ounces) arugula (or baby spinach or spring mix)
• black pepper and sea salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the pears into slices, about 6 slices per pear, removing the cores and seeds.
2. Whisk the apple cider, vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a bowl. Gently toss the pear slices with the mixture.
3. Arrange the coated pear slices, core side up, in a baking dish. Bake the pears, basting every 8-10 minutes with the basting mixture, until tender (about 40-50 minutes). Remove and let cool to warm or room temperature.
4. Whisk together the remaining olive oil and ½ cup of the basting mixture. Toss the arugula with the dressing, pecans and cranberries and divide among six salad plates.
5. Top each salad with 3 pear slices and season with salt and pepper.
6. Enjoy!