My 6-year-old loves Asian pears. He consistently asks for them in his lunches and could consume a mountain of them if given the opportunity. Here’s a great easy-to-make recipe to convince even the pickiest of kids to eat their greens.
Serves 4-6
For the Salad
- Greens of choice (2 small heads of lettuce, 1 large head of lettuce, or 4 big handfuls of baby kale, baby spinach, etc.)
- 1 asian pear, sliced
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup pecans, toasted
- Handful of fresh green beans
- 1/4 cup feta cheese (optional)
For the Dressing (yields about 1/3 cup)
- Juice of one lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp Sesame oil
- 1/2 – 1 tsp honey
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
If you’re using pre-washed greens, skip ahead. If you’ve got a head of lettuce, prep your bed of greens by cutting off the bottom few inches down by the core. Loosen the leaves and rinse under cold water. Coarsely chop into bite sized pieces. Put leaves into a salad spinner to dry them off. If you don’t have a spinner, just hold a few handfuls and shake like crazy. If there’s too much water on the leaves, the dressing won’t “stick” as well. Wash your green beans now, too.
Select a lovely bowl that will show off your salad. Eating is visual, too. If you’re selling this salad to timid salad eaters, make it obviously delicious. Toss in your greens.
Next, slice your red onion and Asian pear and put on top of your bed of greens. Add your green beans, too, snapping off any ends that aren’t suitable to eat.
Next, toast the pecans. The fastest way to roast pecans is to place them in a dry frying pan on medium heat for a few minutes. Stir a bit while daydreaming about your next salad or until they start to smell fragrant, or about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and toss into your salad. Add feta if your using.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until the honey is completely dissolved. Taste and add another pinch of salt or drizzle of honey depending on your taste buds.
Pour a few tablespoons of dressing on the salad and toss to coat. Add more if needed. Save any remaining dressing for another salad later this week.
Serve to your favorite people. You can even rename it. I won’t tell Phin.
As a Certified Heath Education Specialist, mom of three Alli inspires others to make small healthy changes every day. She lives in Fort Morgan, CO, and blogs at Don’t Panic Mom.