pear

Spiced Pear Oat Parfait

Sorry for rolling out all the oat recipes on you, but hey, it's winter, and oats are warming AND delicious! This one's a little bit of a twist because I decided to throw them into a parfait, and it is seriously BOMB!

Here's what you'll need:

-1 cup rolled oats
-2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or your milk of choice)
-1 tbsp and 1 tsp maple syrup, separated
-1 tbsp and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, separated
-1 tsp nutmeg
-dash of sea salt
-1 /2 pear, chopped
-1 tbsp ground flax seed
-1 tbsp chia seeds
-1 6 oz container of nonfat plain Greek yogurt
-1 (0.36 oz) package of Crispy Green Snacks freeze dried Asian pears
-2 tbsp slivered almonds

Instructions:

1) In a pot on the stove top, heat up the oats and almond milk on high heat until boiling.
2) Once boiling, reduce the temperature to low and begin stirring regularly.
3) Once the oats begin to thicken a bit (about 3-5 minutes), add in 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp cinnamon, the nutmeg, sea salt, flax seed, chia seeds, and chopped pears.
4) Continue to stir the oats until they become thick and the consistency of oatmeal (another 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat.
5) In a bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, remaining cinnamon, and remaining maple syrup. 
6) Begin layering your parfaits - do one layer (about an inch thick of the oatmeal followed by a thinner layer of the Greek yogurt mixture followed by the crispy pears and finally the almonds. Repeat until both parfaits are complete.
7) Enjoy!

If you aren't a fan of pears, you can easily switch them out for apples (and Crispy Green Snacks does make freeze dried apples as well). I like using Crispy Green Snacks because 1) they're non GMO verified and 2) they're pure fruit which means no added sugar like a lot of dried fruit. Let me know what you think in the comments below! I look forward to hearing from you!

Pear and Blue Cheese Salad

Something about this (somewhat) cooler weather really made me start craving pear. To counter the sweetness, I thought it would go really well with a nice blue cheese. I wasn't exactly sure how I wanted to eat the two together, and I went through all the options in my head (including literally smearing blue cheese on pear slices). At the end of this mental conversation with myself, I decided I could really use a refreshing salad. I knew I also had some vegan bacon, almonds, and sunflower seeds which could add a nice savory kick and crunch to the meal.

Here's what you'll need:

For the dressing:

-1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
-1 tsp olive oil
-1/4 tsp garlic powder (or less)
-1/4 tsp dijon mustard
-1/4 tsp German mustard
-salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:

-1/2 cup of baby kale
-1/2 cup of baby spinach (feel free to do a full cup of either or substitute with the leafy green of your choosing)
-2 pieces of vegan (or regular or turkey) bacon, cooked and chopped
-1/2 pear, sliced
-2 tbsp blue cheese
-1/2 tsp sunflower seeds
-2 tbsp almonds, chopped

Instructions:

1) In a bowl, mix together the dressing ingredients.
2) In a larger bowl, mix together the kale and spinach. Top with the pear slices, bacon, sunflower seeds, and blue cheese.
3) Drizzle on the dressing, and enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below, and feel free to subscribe!