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    Home » Diet » Gluten Free Recipes

    Pear Quinoa Salad with Walnuts & Goat Cheese

    Published: Nov 7, 2014 by Wendy Polisi Modified: Nov 28, 2018 · 472 words. · About 3 minutes to read this article. This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

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    Whip up a little something special with this Pear Quinoa Salad. With poached pears, walnuts and goat cheese, this is a quinoa salad recipe that is perfect for your holiday table.

    Pear Quinoa Salad with Walnuts & Goat Cheese

    There are few things I love better than fresh in season produce. Even though we live in a world where we can pretty much get anything year around, seasonal produce is always better to me. One of my favorite things about this time of year: Pear season!
    Pear Quinoa Salad with Walnuts & Goat Cheese
    Did you know that right now all 10 varieties of USA pears are being harvested? They include:

    • Green Anjo
    • Red Anjou
    • Yellow Bartlett
    • Red Bartlett
    • Boscdre
    • Comice
    • Concorde
    • Forelle
    • Seckel
    • Starkrimson

    Pear Quinoa Salad with Walnuts & Goat Cheese

    For many years, I didn’t know how to tell if a pear was ripe. Then I learned that you could jut apply gentle pressure to the neck of the pear with your thumb. If it yields to pressure, it’s ripe. If it doesn’t it isn’t.

    If you find yourself wanting to use pears that are under-ripe, all is not lost. These pears are perfect for poaching. I know - it sounds intimidating. It is really quite simple but it takes any dish to the next level. (Just in time to make your holiday table extra special.)

    Pear Quinoa Salad with Walnuts & Goat Cheese

    I’m going traditional today, poaching my pears in a wine and sugar mixture. Next I’m going to try getting creative with my poaching. Depending on the type of dish, pears may be poached in tea, bourbon, coconut milk, (gluten free) beer, coffee or just about anything you can dream of.

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    5 from 1 vote

    Pear Quinoa Salad with Walnuts & Goat Cheese

    Whip up a little something special with this Pear Quinoa Salad. With poached pears, walnuts and goat cheese, this is a quinoa salad recipe that is perfect for your holiday table.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time35 mins
    Total Time55 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Gluten Free, Healthy, Quinoa
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 364kcal
    Author: Wendy Polisi

    Ingredients

    • 4 pears Red Bartlett, peeled
    • 2 ½ cups white wine
    • ¼ cup coconut palm sugar or organic sugar
    • ½ cup balsamic vinegar
    • 1 shallot chopped or 1 Tablespoon red onion
    • 4 cloves garlic minced
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
    • ½ cup olive oil
    • 10 cups mixed spinach and arugula
    • 1 cup cooked quinoa
    • 4 ounces goat cheese or nut cheese
    • ¼ cup walnuts toasted
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • In a medium saucepan, combine wine and sugar. Bring to a boil.
    • Cut the bottoms straight across so that the pears can stand up. Carefully place the pears in a saucepan. Add water if necessary so that the pears are submerged about half way up. Cover the pot and turn to medium-low. Poach until the pears are soft, about 35 minutes. (They should be easy to cut but still hold their shape.) Allow to cool and slice, discarding core.
    • Meanwhile, Make the dressing by combining the vinegar, shallot, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender. Add in olive oil in a steady stream.
    • Put salad together by combining the greens, quinoa, goat cheese and pears. Toss with desired amount of dressing. Top with walnuts and serve.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 247mg | Potassium: 455mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 3685IU | Vitamin C: 15.1mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 2.4mg

    Filed Under:

    Gluten Free RecipesQuinoa RecipesSalad RecipesVegetarian Recipes

    More Gluten Free Recipes

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    About Wendy Polisi

    Hi, I’m Wendy! I’m a cook, 5 time cookbook author, blogger, natural health enthusiast…and most importantly a mom. My boys are 16 & 17 and my late life princess is 9.

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    1. Shannon Graham

      January 05, 2018 at 10:55 pm

      5 stars
      This is a delicious salad idea! Love!

      Reply

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