Good Eating Monday: Warm Pear & Brussels Sprout Salad

Today's recipe comes from Fresh Thyme: Warm Pear & Brussels Sprout Salad.
Fresh Thyme is an organic grocery chain. I don't have where I live, buts there's one in Terre Haute, Indiana and I get a kick out of visiting it with my sisters whenever we're there, visiting.
It's a little pricey, but they have free coffee daily (in small cups) and you're allowed to sample a piece or two of the bulk chocolates & candy.

 Fresh Thyme also has their own free magazine by the door with recipes and I picked one up. This recipe comes from that.

Having tried it, I suggest using Real Bacon Bits instead of bothering with cooking bacon and adding either a Tablespoon to individual servings or adding a 2 - 3 Tablespoons to the recipe during cooking. 

Also, instead of raw Brussels, I purchased 2 bags of plain frozen Brussels, because they're younger, more tender and cook more quickly then raw.  I just thawed and sliced them in half. It was just easier. 

(Photo is my own) 

Warm Pear & Brussels Spouts Salad

Ingredients:

1 - 2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 medium red onion sliced

1 lb raw Brussels, halved (or use the about the same amount of frozen: thawed and halved)

3 fresh pears, cored and quarters (use your favorite)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Dressing:

2 Tablespoons stone-ground mustard (any brown spicy mustard would do)

2 Tablespoons Honey

1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar 

Pepper & Salt to taste

Toppings:

Real Bacon Bits (Applewood flavor)

Blue Cheese Crumbles

Directions:

Add olive oil to skillet. You'll want to cook the raw Brussels at least halfway tender before adding onion & pears. If your using thawed frozen Brussels, you can throw all them and onion in & pear in all at once and cook until pears are almost tender.

You can add 2 or 3 Tablespoons of Bacon bits at this point and stir in or save them for serving.

Dressing: in a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients together, then add to skillet, stirring to coat Brussels sprouts mixture.

Serve warm topped with a Tablespoon Real Bacon Bits and 1 Tablespoon of Blue Cheese Crumbles per serving.

******

This is really more a side-dish, I think, then a "salad,"  It's very hearty and filling. The blue cheese crumbles balance the sweetness of the honey & pears deliciously.

I served it as a side to a slice of meatloaf. I also learned cooked pears are yum.