sweet + salty + spicy
[pear + cheese + cayenne]
Love these combinations.
And as always, I dressed the salad with an oil and vinegar from my favorite olive oil company - Palmetto Olive Oil. As much as I write about this company, please know that I am not compensated in any way for promoting their products (but hey, I wouldn't turn down the offer). They are just plain delicious and I want the world to know.
I used a combination of a plain mild olive oil (these tend to be quite grassy in flavor and contain seriously high levels of antioxidants) with a grapefruit white balsamic vinaigrette. Of course, however, a good olive oil with a simple white balsamic works just as well.
These flavor infused oils and vinegars are a great way to build flavor without having to add salt, butter or other flavor enhancing additives that can be detrimental for your health if used in excess. Trust me, I love me some butter and salt, but not all the time. Even better, this company also makes a butter olive oil - that's right - and it tastes just. like. butter. I used it while roasting some squash for this tasty Butternut Squash and Black Bean Burrito recipe. Not only is the taste there, but you're also avoiding the saturated fat otherwise found in butter, and adding in some mono- and polyunsaturated fats (you know, the heart healthy fats).
Here's to the good stuff!
