Caramelized Onion, Walnut and Pear Salad. Franc

I made Betty a tasty salad for lunch today and it turned out great. I actually learned this recipe from my cousin who is the executive chef at Grouse Mountain Lodge  - which happens to be a great resort and a fabulous restaurant in Whitefish, MT.I made just a couple of small modifications to be sure it was Vegan. Enjoy!

Francs - Caramelized Onion and Pear Salad with Walnuts. (Makes 2 large dinner salads)

Slice up 1 cup of Red onion and saute in a pan with about 2 table spoons of Veggie oil. Your going for long skinny pieces of onion, not diced bits.You want the onions to cook over medium heat until the sugars come out and they begin to caramelize and get soft and sweet. It will take a good 10 min till they get to the right point. Stir often and be sure they don't burn. You want a nice golden brown color on them but not a burnt, black color.

Next dice up one ripe pear and add to the cooked onions. You want these to soften up just a bit and start to release some of their juice. You still want the pears to have a little firmness to them, so don't cook them so long they turn to mush. This step should take just a couple of minutes. If your pears are not very ripe (like mine were today) you can sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over them as they cook.

Once you have your onions and pears ready. Plate up a large dinner plate with some spring mix. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of walnuts over each salad. Next put half of the pear and onion mixture over each salad. I dress the salads with Balsamic vinegar (a heavy drizzle to taste) and just a little extra virgin olive oil (about 2-3 teaspoons per salad).

Francs carmelized Onion and Pear salad

You'll really love the different textures in this salad. The crunch and richness of the walnuts, the softness of the onions, the sweetness of the caramelized onion and the pears plus the sourness of the balsamic vinegar. Enjoy with a little crusty Italian bread, if you've got it!

-Franc