The dressing is quit important and we deviated a bit from the original. We made elderberry vinegar in the late summer and used that, we used walnut oil, and a sweet grainy mustard. We sweetened the dressing with agave so that the dressing was not to dark in color otherwise, we would have used elderberry syrup. The combination was delicious, and so nice to be eating fresh in winter. We hope you try this tasty salad that was published by the Vegetarian Times in March 2010.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts
• 1-2 pears, peeled and cut
• 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 2 tablespoons walnut oil
• 1 tablespoon fine olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• Balsamic vinegar as garnish

Directions:

1. Cut the Brussels sprouts in half.
2. We preferred to steam them, but roasting is also good.
3. Chop the walnuts, and toast in a dry frying pan.
4. Prepare the sauce by mixing the oils, vinegar and mustard with sat and pepper.
5. Depending upon the size of the pears, you will need 1 large or 2 small-medium.
6. Peel the pears, and cut in medium bite sized chunks, discarding the seeds and core.
7. When the Brussels sprouts are cooked, place in a bowl, drizzle the sauce over and mix well.
8. Add the pear pieces and place in a serving dish.
9. Sprinkle the walnuts over the top and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 medium celery root (celeriac), trimmed and chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• handful chives, minced
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 4 cups vegetable bouillon
• 3 pears, peeled, cored and cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup vegan soy cream

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot.
2. Add the chopped onions and begin to saute.
3. Add the chopped celery root pieces and saute, stirring to keep the onions from browning and evenly coat the celery.
4. Add the vegetable bouillon chives and thyme and bring to a boil.
5. Once the soup comes to a boil, turn it down to simmer and cook until the celery pieces are soft.
6. Add the prepared pear pieces and cook for 3-5 minutes.
7. Puree the soup to a smooth consistency. I used an immersion blender.
8. Add the soy cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. We garnished the soup with a dash of nutmeg, a few chives and dried apple chips.

Note:

adapted from http://www.canadianliving.com/food/pear_and_celery_soup.php

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. fresh green beans
• 1/2 lb. ripe pears
• 2 tablespoons vegan margarine
• 2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Clean and trim the beans and slice thinly.
2. Par boil or steam them until al dente. (about 12 minutes)
3. Peel and cut the pears.
4. Drain and toss them with the vegan margarine and balsamic vinegar.
5. Add the pears to the beans and gently toss or mix.
6. Serve with an additional splash of balsamic vinegar

Notes:

I have a nice little tool called a bean Frencher. It is one of my favorite tools. It makes preparing beans so easy.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 ripe pears
• 4 tablespoons vegan margarine
• 4 tablespoons ground hazelnuts
• 4 tablespoons chopped almonds
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup vanilla soy yogurt or vanilla soy pudding
• 1 tablespoon ginger syrup
• 2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.
2. Melt the vegan margarine in a small frying pan.
3. Add the ground hazelnuts, almonds and sugar.
4. Stir to mix well and remove from the heat.
5. Peel the pears, slice length-wise in half and using a melon baller scoop out the core with the seeds.
6. Fill the cavity in the pears created by removing the seeds with the hazelnut mixture and place the pears in an oiled oven-proof baking dish.
7. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until the pears are soft but not mushy.
8. Meanwhile, put the vanilla soy yogurt or soy pudding in a small bowl.
9. Add the ginger syrup and the chopped ginger pieces. (reserve a few as garnish)
10. Serve the warm pears with the gingered soy yogurt/pudding and garnished with a few candied ginger pieces.

The blend of flavors of the walnut pate, the roasted red pepper and the pears is really a delicious combination.The light peppery flavor of the arugula is also a nice addition. You could also adapt it to make an open face appetizer in a smaller form, It would be a hit at any party. I hope you give this recipe a try.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 pears, with stem left on, peeled
• 1 cup elderberry juice
• 3 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup white wine

Directions:

1. Place the elderberry juice in a small saucepan.
2. Add the cornstarch and mix well.
3. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
4. When the syrup has become very thick, remove from the heat and add the white wine to slightly thin it out. By not boiling the wine, it will retain some of the alcohol.
5. Peal the pears and submerge in the elderberry syrup.
6. If the pears are very ripe, you will not need to cook them for long – a minute or two. If the pears are slightly under-ripe and hard, they can be cooked longer and still hold their shape.
7. Allow the pears and syrup to cool.
8. Serve the pears garnished with mint leaves and optionally some non-dairy whipped topping.

Ingredients:

• 5 medium asparagus spears per person
• 1 slice of vegan cold cuts per asparagus
• 1/2 pear per person, peeled and sliced in thin slices
• balsamic vinegar
• toothpicks are helpful

Directions:

1. Clean and cut the woody end of the asparagus spears off.
2. Bring a pan of lightly salted water to boil and cook the asparagus until tender.
3. When the asparagus spears are cooked, remove from the pan and allow to cool slightly.
4. Peel the pears, slice in half and discard the core with the seeds.
5. Thinly slice the pear pieces, as if it is too large, you will not be able to wrap the vegan cold cut around the asparagus and pear together.
6. When the asparagus spears have cooled enough to be able to handle, arrange 1 spear and a slice of pear on the vegan cold cut and roll closed.
7. Toothpicks are handy to help hold the vegan cold cut in place.
8. Arrange on a plate and drizzle the balsamic vinegar on top.

Ingredients:

• 1 banana, peeled and chopped
• 3 kiwi, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup pears, chopped
• 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1/2 cup pear juice
• splash of lemon juice (optional)
• 2 tablespoons agave syrup

Directions:

1. Place the banana pieces, chopped pears and kiwis in a blender.
2. Add the pear juice, vanilla soy milk, and agave syrup and blend to a smoothie consistence.
3. Taste the smoothie, you may want to add a splash of lemon juice, and optionally a bit more pear juice or agave to sweeten.

We of course adapted the recipe it by using smoked tofu as croutons instead of bacon and of course a dollop soy yogurt instead of the creme fraiche or double cream. The soup was delicious, very delicate in flavor and easy to make. Actually, next time we have it, I will not use the soy yogurt either, it isn’t needed. It was a very nice soup just on it’s own.