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Sunday, January 27, 2013

Sugar Free Beet Pear Salad Dressing

Salad Dressing made with Beet and Pear Puree {& a Cookbook Giveaway!}
Recipe is gluten free, soy free, sugar free, nut free, dairy free


I've finally managed to combine some of my favorite salad ingredients into a super healthy, antioxidant salad dressing!!

This salad is a great way to make use of some of the few things you can find at the farmers' market in the dead of winter, beets and pears!  It's also a gorgeous way to brighten up a gloomy, cold day and use up any leftover baked beets you might have kicking around.

Spinach is common at the farmers' market in Madison, WI right now (albeit rather pricey for some of us) so you could pair it with pears and spinach (get it? Pear, pair? Oh alright not funny) and feel pretty good about yourself for eating local and healthy over the winter!


In fact, it's so cold right now that nearby Lake Monona has frozen over, and I have a lovely view from my couch of the ice fishermen.  I'm amazed by their tenacity.  They were even out there in -25C.  Sometimes I see their little flashlights waving after the sun has set. 

The view from my couch!

With this view it's no wonder I don't get more work done.  In the summer I watch the boats float by, and in the winter I sit and wonder what they're thinking out there all day on the ice!!

Quick Reminder: The raffle is still open to enter to win a copy of Pauli Halstead's new Paleo cookbook, Primal Cuisine, and you can find the rafflecopter below the recipe!

So anyhoo, I've shown the dressing here with a super simple salad of steamed kale, pears, cashews and cranberries, but I think this sweet, tangy dressing would work well on most salads.  And it's really not as globby in real life, it's just that I took this photo before making some adjustments to the dressing!
 

Salad Dressing made with Pureed Beets and Pears
 Also, for those with Oral Allergy Syndrome and problems with pears (like me) I've used canned pears for this as the allergen proteins are destroyed in the canning process, making them safer for many people to eat. 

I like to can my own pears, but if you buy them, look for sugar free ones in pear or pineapple juice.    If you don't have this problem, go ahead and use ripe fresh ones!  The natural sweetness of the beets and pears means you don't need any additional sweetener to make this dressing addictive. 

Sugar Free Beet Pear Salad Dressing  Makes approx. 1.5 cups


Ingredients:

½ c Pureed Beets (approx. 1 beet, baked for 45 min - 1hr at 400F until soft)
Approx 1 sugar free canned pear + 4 Tbsp pear juice or 1 pear, peeled
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 ½ Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a food processor or with a hand blender, blend all ingredients until smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Store in jar with a tight lid in the refrigerator for one week.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What's your favorite way to brighten up a cold winter day?  Do you have a favorite in season food that helps?

Beet and Pear Puree Salad Dressing

This post was shared on the following great link parties: Natural Living Monday, Musings of a Housewife, My Meatless Monday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Just Another Meatless Monday, Make Your Own! Monday, Monday Mania, Gluten Free Recipe Exchange, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Nap-Time Creations, Tasty Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Frugal Tip Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesday, Wheat Free Wednesday, Simple Lives ThursdayFull Plate Thursday, Tasty Traditions, Keep it Real Thursday, Foodie Friday, Allergy Friendly Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Get Real Frugal Friday, Fight Back Friday, Gluten Free Friday,      

 

17 comments:

  1. That looks amazing! Pinned it. And tweeted for the giveaway. :-)

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  2. Ooh that salad looks amazing! And you have an awesome view from your couch :D I've never met another person with OAS! I know the cooking process is supposed to make it ok, but it still scares me lol. But oooh man making a loaf of banana bread sure is tempting! :) Bananas are one of mine...

    I found you through Jo-Lynne's link up! :)

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    1. Hi Heather, thanks for stopping by! I miss bananas too, I can't have them raw (itchy mouth followed quickly by horrible cramps!) but luckily I can have them baked in muffins. The long baking process seems to help because I can't have them if they've only been microwaved or baked less than 20 minutes :(

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    2. I am so happy to find your blog! I have suffered with this for two years and I am just about to go into my third spring and I have gotten more info from an hour on your blog than I have from all the Dr.'s I have visited. I had no idea that OAS would include so many foods. My original allergy is to hickory and pecan pollen, but I react to many foods. But, my allergists told me I am truly allergic to nothing! What a long two years this has been trying to figure this out with really no help at all from the medical community. So happy to find the recipes and ideas you have listed here! Thank you! Thank you!
      Sherry

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    3. Hi Sherry, welcome! Thank you so much for your kind words, and I'm so glad you were able to find some helpful info :) So many people seem to be feeling their way through the dark with OAS, and I hope that having places like this blog to share stories and research can help disseminate awareness and assistance!

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    4. And btw, your site is gorgeous and I think you must have the most fabulous collection of dishes and decorations I've ever seen ;)

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  3. This sounds like an interesting dressing. You have used two of my favorite ingredients. No, not beets but I do eat it in salad and juice. I still have half in my fridge to try out this gorgeous dressing.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Balvinder! If you try it I'd love to hear about it :)

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  4. I absolutely love beets, but I've never thought of pureeing them for a dressing. Brilliant!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Heather, I love beets, too. I think I'm a beet-a-holic ;)

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  5. Beets and pears off set by mustard.. sound delicious. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe with us on foodie friday.

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  6. I just love Beets and this will be a fabulous dressing. Have a great week and thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  7. Wow, I can't wait to try this! It sounds amazing. I love beets and all their health benefits!
    Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! :)

    Thanks for linking back to the Gluten Free Fridays post!


    Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com

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