Roquefort Pear Salad

Need a new twist for your salad?  Try this for Monday’s Meal, courtesy allrecipes.com.  Of course, you can skip the sugar and don’t caramelize the pecans.  They will taste fine plain.  You can caramelize when you’re at your goal weight

Ingredients:

1 head leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

3 pears – peeled, cored and chopped

5 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled

1 avocado – peeled, pitted, and diced

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup pecans

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

In a skillet over medium heat, stir 1/4 cup of sugar together with the pecans. Continue stirring gently until sugar has melted and caramelized the pecans. Carefully transfer nuts onto waxed paper. Allow to cool, and break into pieces.

For the dressing, blend oil, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, mustard, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper.

In a large serving bowl, layer lettuce, pears, blue cheese, avocado, and green onions. Pour dressing over salad, sprinkle with pecans, and serve.