Tossed Salad With Pears, Pecans, and Blue Cheese

An elegant starter for a dinner party, this salad combines three salad greens plus chives for lots of beta carotene.

Prep time: 20 minutes

You Will Need
2 pears, halved, cored and sliced lengthwise
3/4 cup low-fat (1.5 percent) buttermilk
2 tablespoons blue cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons fresh chives or scallion greens, snipped
4 cups Boston lettuce, torn
6 cups red leaf or other looseleaf lettuce, torn
2 cups watercress leaves
1 1/2 cups cucumber half-rounds, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons toasted pecans, chopped

What to Do
1. In a small bowl, toss the pears with 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk. In a another small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, the blue cheese, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir in the chives.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the Boston and red leaf lettuces, the watercress, and cucumber. Arrange the greens on plates and top with the sliced pears and toasted pecans. Drizzle with some of the dressing and serve the remainder alongside.

Serves: 6

Per serving: Calories 102; fiber 3 g; protein 4 g; total fat 4 g; saturated fat 1 g; cholesterol 4 mg; sodium 251 mg

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