Roasted Garlic, Pear & Blue Cheese Dressing with Grilled Chicken, Baby Spinach, Wild Rice & Sunflower Seeds

Roasted Garlic, Pear & Blue Cheese Dressing with Grilled Chicken, Baby Spinach, Wild Rice & Sunflower Seeds

Depending on your comfort level with the funkiness that blue cheese brings to dressings, look for the less potent cambozola instead of a true blue roquefort.

Servings
2 people
  • Ingredients

    Dressing:

    2 heads of garlic, tops removed (2)

    1 ripe but firm pear, peeled, stemmed and cut in half (1)

    1/4 cup canola oil (60 mL)

    1 oz mild blue cheese, crumbled (30 g)

    ½ cup light sour cream (125 mL)

    3/4 cup buttermilk (175 mL)

    1/2 tsp hot sauce (2 mL) (optional)

     

    Salad:

    2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, grilled and cut into chunks (2)

    1 yellow sweet bell pepper, stemmed, cored and cut into thin slices (1)

    1 orange sweet bell pepper, stemmed, cored and cut into thin slices (1)

    2 cups baby spinach (500 mL)

    1 cup cooked wild rice (250 mL)

    1/4 cup shelled and salted sunflower seeds (60 mL)

  • Directions

    Roasted Garlic & Pear:

    1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
    2. Place each head of garlic in a heatproof ramekin. Drizzle each one with equals amounts of canola oil. Season each garlic head with salt and pepper. Place pear halves is a heatproof dish and drizzle with a little canola oil. Place garlic and pears into oven; bake pears for 30 minutes and garlic for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool.

    Dressing:

    1. Remove garlic heads from ramekins, reserving oil. Squeeze garlic heads into a mini-food processor and add reserved oil, pear halves, blue cheese, sour cream, buttermilk and hot sauce (optional): process until smooth.

    Salad:

    1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss salad to combine. Drizzle with dressing and mix to coat all ingredients. Divide equally between two dinner plates and serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis

Servings
2
Calories
614
Total Fat
20.6 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Cholesterol
208 mg
Sodium
240 mg
Carbohydrates
40.6 g
Fiber
5.9 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
71 g
Potassium
1648 mg