Pomegranate, Pear and Spiced Pecan Salad with Pecorino Romano

I had made a pomegranate cake last weekend, and had some extra pomegranate seeds on hand.  Of course I could have just eaten them plain, but what fun is that!  I thought they needed to be added to a salad I was making in order to make it more beautiful!  To me, pomegranates look like sparkling rubies, and I believe that when you add them to your salad it instantly becomes 10 times prettier!  Not to mention that they add tart sweet little pops of flavor and crunch as well!  This salad was also going to include pears, pecans, and pecorino romano cheese...just happened to be what I had on hand, and funny that it ends up being a quadruple P kind of ordeal.  Anyways, even though this was a throw together random salad, it was wonderful, so I thought I would share the recipe with you!  Now that I think about it, Thanksgiving would be the perfect time to serve this elegant salad, and it is fast approaching!

Pomegranate, Pear and Spiced Pecan Salad with Pecorino RomanoServes 3

Spiced Pecans:

1/2 cup pecans

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp maple sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground chipotle powder
Dressing:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp  riesling vinegar
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp pomegranate juice
1 tsp dijon
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp dried thyme
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

5 cups mixed flavorful greens such as arugula, mizuna and dandilion
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 D'anjou pear, sliced
seeds of one pomegranate
1 1/2 oz pecorino romano, shaved




Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with nonstick spray. Toss pecans with maple syrup, sugar, sea salt , spices, and chipotle and spread out on the sheet. Roast in the oven until fragrant and starting to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Meanwhile, whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Combine greens, shallots, pears and pomagranate seeds in a large bowl, pour dressing over, and toss with hands to coat. Divide salad between 3 plates and top with toasted seeds and cheese.