Pear Salad with Carob Dressing

A colourful, refreshing salad is a wonderful addition to any cook’s culinary repertoire. This particular salad combines some surprising flavours with great success and boasts a wealth of health-enhancing antioxidants.

4 cups (1 L) organic mixed salad greens
1 large ripe pear, chopped
1/3 cup (80 mL) dried cranberries 
1/4 cup (60 mL) shredded Emmenthal cheese
1/4 cup (60 mL) balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup (60 mL) sucanat
2 Tbsp (30 mL) orange juice
1 oz (28 g) unsweetened carob chips

Divide organic greens evenly among 4 salad plates. Place equal amounts of pear slices and dried cranberries on each plate. Top each plate with a little grated cheese.

To make dressing, place vinegar, sucanat, and orange juice in small pan. Simmer mixture until sucanat is well dissolved. Remove pan from heat and stir in carob chips. Stir just until carob begins to melt and then set aside for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir again and drizzle dressing evenly over each salad plate.

Serves 4.

Each serving contains: 190 calories; 4 g protein; 5 g total fat (4 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 35 g total carbohydrates (27 g sugars, 3 g fibre); 41 mg sodium

source: "Delicious Carob Creations", alive #378, April 2014