Dinner tonight! Pear and apple salad

Looking for a dish to celebrate the Fall without having to break out the soup pot? This salad -- full of crisp apple and pear slices, sweet-tart dried cranberries and toasted walnuts -- fits the bill in a cool and refreshing way. Served alongside an herbed cranberry vinaigrette, it makes a great colorful side dish or light main course (add some diced chicken, perhaps, for a more substantial dish). Best of all? The whole thing comes together in less than 30 minutes.

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Pear and apple salad with cranberry vinaigrette

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

Note: From Donna Deane

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup cranberry juice

1/4 cup minced dried cranberries

1 tablespoon minced shallot

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons olive oil

Salt

Cracked pepper

1 pear

1 apple

1 lemon, cut in half

1 endive, sliced crosswise

5 cups mixed salad greens

1/4 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

1. Combine the rice vinegar, cranberry juice, cranberries, shallot, sugar, rosemary, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Let the dressing stand for the flavors to meld.

2. Meanwhile, cut the pear into quarters then core and slice. Place the slices in a shallow dish filled with water and the juice of half a lemon; the liquid should cover the fruit. Cut the apple into quarters, core and slice. Place the slices in a shallow dish with water and the juice of the remaining lemon half to cover.

3. Just before serving, drain the pears and apples. Toss together in a large bowl with the endive and salad greens. Arrange the salad on a platter and sprinkle with the toasted walnuts. Serve the dressing alongside.

Each serving: 250 calories; 1,143 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 46 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 5.99 grams fiber.