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

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