Whether for health reasons or making a choice to eat in a more balanced way, The Dairy Free & Gluten Free Kitchen (Ten Speed Press, Paperback, January 2012) by Denise Jardine offers 150 recipes (from Pancakes to Pizza) for all occasions and seasons.
For lunch or dinner a salad is always welcome. In the winter say it with pears
Spinach, pear, and beet salad with sherry dressing
Free of egg soy nut sugar
serves 4 to 6
Salad
3 medium golden or red beets, trimmed
6 cups stemmed baby spinach leaves, lightly packed (about 1 bunch)
3 ripe Bartlett or Bosc pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/3 cup dried cranberries
Dressing
1 cup peeled, cored, and diced ripe Bartlett or Bosc pear (1 or 2 pears)
1/3 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small shallot, chopped
1 teaspoon gluten-free Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Date Syrup (page 189) or honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To prepare the beets: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wrap the beets individually in aluminum foil, enclosing them completely. Roast the beets in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Allow the beets to cool completely, about 2 hours or overnight. Using a sharp paring knife, peel the beets and slice them 1/2 inch thick.
Meanwhile, prepare the dressing.
To prepare the dressing: Combine the diced pear, sherry, olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, mustard, date syrup, salt, and pepper in a blender and puree until smooth. Taste and correct the seasonings.
To assemble the salad: Place the spinach in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the greens and toss to coat. Divide the greens equally among 4 to 6 plates. Arrange the pear slices and beets atop the greens, and scatter the cranberries over them.
Serve immediately.
(* "Spinach, Pear, and Beet Salad with Sherry Dressing” recipe from THE DAIRY-FREE & GLUTEN-FREE KITCHEN by Denise Jardine, Paperback published by Ten Speed Press, January 2012, all rights reserved