Pear and Pomegranate Salad with Gorgonzola and Champagne Vinaigrette

Ingredients, Salad:

• 8 cups baby spinach or romaine lettuce
• 1 ripe pear, cut in half 
• 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds 
• 2 ounces Gorgonzola 
• Champagne Vinaigrette, recipe follows 
• Fresh cracked pepper 
• 1 tablespoon honey 

Ingredients Champagne Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions 

Champagne Vinaigrette: 

1. In a small bowl or glass jar, add all the ingredients except the olive oil. 
2. Mix well, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil to combine. 
3. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

Salad:

1. In a decorative bowl or platter, add the spinach or romaine. 
2. Cut the pear into fans, and then slice again on the diagonal, add the greens, crumble the Gorgonzola onto the salad and then drizzle with about half of the vinaigrette. 
3. Top with fresh cracked pepper and lightly drizzle the whole salad with the honey. 
4. Serve immediately. 

Recipe from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/pear-and-pomegranate-salad-with-gorgonzola-and-champagne-vinaigrette-recipe-1949032

Pomegranate Glazed Carrots

The only thing I added to this recipe was tossing a handful of fresh pomegranate seeds on the top. Served it to friends we had over for dinner and it was delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 cups peeled, sliced carrots
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup pomegranate juice

Directions

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. 
2. Cook and stir carrots in the hot butter until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes; season with salt and black pepper.
3. Stir orange juice and pomegranate juice into carrots, bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to low. 
4. Simmer carrots until tender, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes.

Minestrone Soup

A recipe that lends itself well to killing it at the produce game! As I'm doing gluten free right now I substituted some gluten free rotini in for the elbow macaroni and added in about a half pound of ground Italian sausage, both of which I cooked separately and added in for the last 10 minutes of simmering as I liked the idea of having more control of how well the pasta was cooked. The original recipe called for throwing the pasta in and cooking for the last 30 min (out of a total of 1.5 hours).

The results are delicious and virtuous!

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• whatever other produce is starting to give you the evil eye in the fridge
• 1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups cubed potatoes
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup elbow macaroni
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 lb Italian sausage, optional

Directions

1. Melt butter or margarine in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots; saute for a few minutes.
2. Add beans, cabbage, tomatoes, tomato paste, potato, stock, garlic, parsley, and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes until vegetables are barely tender.
3. If using it, brown sausage while vegetables cook.
4. Add cooked pasta and browned sausage to the pot, and simmer for 10-15 minutes more, until the veggies are tender. Correct seasoning, and serve hot with grated cheese.