If you’re having guests over, this Asian-Pear Chevre Salad is an impressive tasting dinner salad. The combination of Asian pear, chevre (goat cheese), pine nuts and a sweet and tangy maple-dijon dressing are really a great combination together. Later on in this post I’ll be talking about my sons’ new adventure, which has absolutely nothing to do with the salad recipe I’m going to share. In fact my husband just came in the room and said, “What does Hardmill have to do with sharing a recipe?” “Nothing”, I answered back, “but this is a blog and that’s what I do, blog, blog, blog about whatever.” “Is that like blah, blah, blah,” he said. ‘Yeah, something like that”, I answered back. If you are looking for a nice spring salad to whip up, this is quick and easy and restaurant quality.


When you toast your pine nuts under the broiler, keep a careful eye on them. The nuts brown very quickly and they are much to expensive to burn!
You can purchase pine nuts by clicking here.

The combination of the rice vinegar with the maple syrup is awesome, but add in the mustard and olive oil and you have a perfect salad dressing.

Chevre is a creamy goat cheese found in most deli or cheese sections. Garnish with thin slices of red onion of toasted pine nuts and drizzle with the maple-dijon dressing. Click here for my gluten-free croutons recipe, which you also may enjoy on this salad.
Asian Pear-Chevre Salad with Maple-Dijon
Dressing & Toasted Pine Nuts
1/2 small red onion (slice in thin rings)
1/3 c chevre (goat cheese)
1/2 c toasted pine nuts
4 c mixed baby greens
1 Asian pear thinly sliced
(Dressing)
3 Tbsp Rice vinegar
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 c olive oil
salt & pepper
I recently shared this recipe on thisgalcooks, realfoodforager, simplysugarandglutenfree, deliciousobsessions, glutenfreehomemaker, thewellfedhomestead, vegetarianmamma, LadyBehindTheCurtain AnyonitaNibbles, AllergyFreeWednesday, CreationsbyKara, GingerSnapCrafts, AllergyFreeAlaska, SodaPopAve, TheChickenChick, AlderBerryHill
Today is a very proud day for me. Our two sons, who live together in Seattle, have been working for about a year now to launch a business together. Today is their launch! This is what America was founded on, people working with their hands, long tiresome hours, to produce products that would give them a better life. I love that that entrepreneurial spirit is still alive and strong in my sons today.
I wouldn’t be truthful if I said I wasn’t scared for my boys. I am, because I know what it takes to run a profitable business. Twenty-seven years ago we started our own business and it’s very hard work. But they have that same fighting spirit and optimism that their dad has, and a very high quality men’s apron, so I’m excited to watch their business grow from the ground up.
On May 1, 2013 Hardmill is born. You can check out their website here: www.hardmill.com.
UPDATE: Sept. 15, 2013 Hardmill hits the front page of Yahoo shopping insider! http://shopping.yahoo.com/insider/;_ylt=AtgjN4VpdZp8fzwYhnXgLANH.MUu
This salad looks beautiful and it has chevre, which I love! I use chevre in a lot of my stuffed mushroom recipes- yum!
Congratulations on your sons new business! I can see why you are so proud!
Thank you, Andrea! Yes, very proud and can’t wait to see their business take off. Each apron is made by hand. Lots of work and love go into them 🙂
Would love for you to share this at my link up where we pin all that join
http://myfashionforwardblog.com/2013/05/09/all-things-pretty-number-7/
Hi Leslie, I just shared my recipe and linked back to you. Thanks 🙂
This salad looks delicious. I forget to use Asian pears, but they’re SO good! Thanks for posting!
Hi Eileen, I love Asian pears because they have a crunchiness to them, which makes them perfect in salads.
Those aprons look great! I hope the business goes well for them.
Your recipe looks delicious, too! Thanks for sharing it at Gluten-Free Wednesdays.
You’re welcome, Linda. Their business is starting to take off and we are thrilled for them. With Father’s Day fast approaching I’m sure they’ll stay quite busy.
The salad looks wonderful! I enjoyed reading the story of your boys! The aprons look great! I checked out the site! 🙂 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! 🙂
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
Thanks, Cindy! Always glad to be a part of your GF Fridays 🙂