Summer Salads: Spinach, Pear and Goat Cheese

Summer is upon us, and since it's really hard to muster up the energy to cook in a hot kitchen, I wanted to share some of my favorite recipes that involve little or no stove time. This has been my favorite early summer treat. I like its pure and simple flavors with the earthy taste of the goat cheese. While I love goat cheese, I know many people who aren't as crazy about it. More than likely your local grocer will have a nice chevre, and they are usually pretty inexpensive as far as cheeses go. If you haven't had it before, I think it's definitely worth a try.


This will make about two servings, so just adjust proportionally if you want more.

1/2 bosc pear, sliced into thin wedges
1/4 red onion, sliced thin

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
pinch salt

Slice your pear and onion as thin as possible.  In a medium sized bowl, mix together the olive oil, vinegar, and salt, and then mix in your pears and onions. Let this sit for a minute while you prepare the rest of your salad- I like it best when these ingredients meld together first.

1 big handful of baby spinach, roughly two cups
fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon fresh goat cheese, or chevre
sliced crusty bread, optional

Add the spinach in with the rest of the mix, and then give it a nice hit of fresh pepper. Mix it around so everything is nicely coated. Then, either spread the goat cheese out on your bread or mix it into your salad. If you aren't a fan, just replace the goat cheese with feta, an aged cheddar, or exclude it all together.