Mixed Lettuce, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad with Citrus Dressing....."Notes of Citrus" with the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club

March is here.  Winter is leaving and Spring is coming.  Well, at least in some parts of the country like where I live in Northwest Florida.  I chose the theme this month for the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club.....Notes of Citrus.  Myself and five other bloggers come together every month for a "virtual supper" focusing on Cooking Light recipes.

I made a salad this month with a citrus dressing using orange juice and lemon juice.  It was light and refreshing.  The pears and goat cheese were a perfect combination along with the citrus dressing.  I really like making different salads.  I use bottle dressings and make my own.  But, there is nothing like the freshness and flavor of homemade vinaigrette and salad dressings.

So, as Spring comes near, enjoy these recipes focusing on Citrus.       

Click here for a printable version of the salad recipe on Myrecipes.com (recipe also below)

How did the rest of the group use citrus in their recipes?  Check out the links below for more delicious ways to use citrus in Cooking Light recipes.

Val from More Than Burnt Toast started off the meal with a Beverage -  Blood Orange Sangria

Mary Ann from Meet Me in the Kitchen made the appetizer - Lime-Spiked Black Bean Dip

Sandi from Whistlestop Cafe Cooking handled the main dish - Lemon Sage Chicken

Jerry from Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants provided the side dish - Braised Fennel with Orange

Roz from La Bella Vita ended the meal with a dessert - Nathan's Lemon Cake

Mixed Lettuce, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad with Citrus Dressing

Recipe by Cooking Light, October 2010

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

Dressing:

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
4 teaspoons fresh Meyer lemon juice (I used a regular lemon and added a pinch of sugar)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 firm ripe Bosc pears, cored and thinly sliced (any pear in season can be used)
6 cups mixed baby lettuces
1 head Boston or butter lettuce, torn (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Preparation

1. To prepare dressing, combine shallots and mustard in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in 1/4 cup orange juice and next 3 ingredients (through pepper). Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk.

2. To prepare salad, combine 2 tablespoons orange juice and pears, tossing to coat. Combine lettuces in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing; toss gently to coat. Arrange about 1 cup lettuce mixture on each of 8 salad plates. Top each serving with about 1/4 cup pear and 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Are you in a rut with your salad dressing?  Make salads more exciting by trying different ones.  Making your own homemade salad dressing or vinaigrette is really very simple.  There are so many recipes on-line and in cookbooks.  When creating your own salad dressings, it not only tastes good but you know exactly what ingredients are going into your dressing.....and that's a bonus for me.