Mixed greens with pear and toasted almonds

2
Points®
Total Time
9 min
Prep
9 min
Cook
0 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
Sweet pear, orange vinaigrette, and the freshest of greens sprinkled with crunchy toasted almonds make this a tantalizing salad. When choosing salad greens, fresh is the key word. Buy the bagged prewashed greens only if they look crisp—avoid those with brown edges—and you want to save time. Or, you can use loose mesclun. To toast the almonds, place them in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Toast them, shaking the pan and stirring constantly, until the nuts are lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Watch them carefully when toasting; almonds can burn quickly. Transfer the nuts to a plate to cool.

Ingredients

Orange zest

1 tsp, grated

Orange juice

2 Tbsp

Balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp

Olive oil

1 Tbsp

Dried marjoram

¼ tsp, or 1 teaspoon minced fresh

Table salt

¼ tsp

Black pepper

¼ tsp, freshly ground

Mixed greens

5 oz, red leaf or other variety

Red bell pepper

½ medium, seeded and thinly sliced

Pear

2 medium, ripe

Sliced almonds

2 Tbsp, toasted

Instructions

  1. To make the dressing, combine the orange zest, juice, vinegar, oil, marjoram, salt, and ground pepper in a medium bowl. Place the greens and bell pepper in a salad bowl.
  2. Core and slice the pears, and toss immediately with the dressing to prevent the pears from turning brown. Add the pears and dressing to the salad and toss gently. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve at once. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.