Give me ALL of the salads, please!

Lately, my body has just been craving vegetables, and I can’t be mad at it for doing so. Walking past New York City’s greenmarkets – as a proper social distance, but of course – it’s hard not to be dazzled by large summer squashes, rainbow-colored tomatoes, and sun-ripened stone fruits.

Recently, I was gifted a collection of fruit juices and nectars made in Italy, namely Yoga Pear Nectar, along with some vinaigrette recipes to make with them. I love slightly fruity dressings for my salads – I’m always one to add ample lemon to my vinaigrettes! – but the idea of adding pear nectar never crossed my mind. Pear is one of my favorite fruits, so I jumped at this opportunity. (P.S.: How adorable are these little bottles?) I was told that it pairs well with arugula and bleu cheese, so I took some liberties to create a salad that pretty damn amazing, if I do say so myself!

Also, I picked up the smoked bleu cheese by accident, and it was one of the best mistakes I’ve made in a long time. Ha! Smoked bleu cheese is superb, and I recommend keeping an eye out for it if you can find it. If not, your favorite usual bleu cheese will be just as delicious in this salad.

^{Note: These products from CSO Italy were gifted to me via the Sopexa Agency for editorial review; I was under no obligation to create a blog post, but this dressing was so good, I got inspired to make this salad! As always, all opinions are my own.}

Summer Salad with Roasted Corn, Smoked Bleu Cheese, & Pear Vinaigrette

(Makes one large salad for salad enthusiasts like myself, but can make 3 smaller salads for side dishes)

Ingredients:

Summer Salad:

• 3 cups greens (I used a mix of baby spinach & arugula)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/4 smoked bleu cheese, crumbled
• 1 ear corn, silk thoroughly removed and kernels stripped from cob

Pear Nectar Vinaigrette (from CSO Italy):

• 1/3 cup pear nectar
• 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt & pepper to taste

Before We Get Started…

• As mentioned earlier in the post, use your favorite bleu cheese if you cannot find smoked bleu cheese.

• I did not test this recipe with canned or frozen corn, so I cannot say how well it may roast in the skillet if you use it! Attempt at your own risk. If you prefer unroasted corn, add that to the salad. For comparison, depending on if you use fresh or canned / frozen corn, one ear usually yields roughly 1/2 of corn kernels.

Directions:

1.) In a large bowl, combine greens, tomatoes, and bleu cheese.

2.) In a non-stick skillet, roast corn kernels over medium-low heat for 2 -3 minutes or until some kernels start to slightly brown or char. Keep a close on eye on this! Remove from heat and add to salad.

3.) Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients until emulsified. Drizzle desired amount over salad and toss to combine. Save any unused vinaigrette in fridge for up to 2 weeks.