Honeyed Pears with Fresh Ginger & Toasted Pecans

First off, let me wish a very happy birthday to my sister Michelle!  I wish I could send you a lovely gluten free layer cake with a lovely ganache dripping down the sides, but maybe this will suffice in the meantime (or at least give you a laugh):



My brother in law Steve, my sister Michelle, and my other sister Dawn trying on my Great Aunt’s furs on Christmas


I mentioned in a previous post that I was going to make a list of resolutions for this year, but the R word seems to make things a bit daunting so I’m going to call them goals.  I have three different sheets of paper with random goals and ideas scribbled on them.  I am hoping I can combine them into one list and somehow do it in a way where I wouldn’t mind having it displayed above my desk.  That will be a project perfect for this coming weekend.  I’ll post some pictures if it ends up looking anything like the jumble of pictures in my head.

In keeping with my goals of being overall healthier and posting more gluten free and vegan foods, I give you honeyed pears with fresh ginger and toasted pecans over greek yogurt.  In case you vegans out there were saying, “But that’s not vegan!”, I’ve got the substitutions for you, and they are rather simple.  Instead of honey, use a smaller amount of agave or maple syrup.  And, instead of greek yogurt, use your favorite dairy-free version.  Voila.  Or, if you don’t eat any kind of yogurt, you can serve this over oatmeal, ice cream, and anything you can think of because these pears are delicious. 

I added some ground flax seed to my yogurt, which is a great source of omega 3s , but you can omit it if you want.  And, if you don’t have fresh ginger lying around, you can use a bit of ground ginger (1/4 to 1/2 tsp) or some crystallized ginger (about 1/2 tbsp finely chopped).  Any way you make it, the combination of pears, ginger, a bit of lemon, and honey is amazing.  It will wake you up in the morning or give you a much needed pick-me-up in the afternoon. 

Honeyed Pears with Ginger and Toasted Pecans Over Greek Yogurt
this will serve 2 as a breakfast portion, but you can easily adjust the measurements to make it for 1 or for a full house

about 1/2 of a large red pear, sliced
about 2 1/2 tbsp of honey
1 tsp fresh lemon juice (I used a meyer lemon since they are in season)
about 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger (I used a microplane)
handful of pecans, chopped and toasted
2 tbsp ground flax seed
2 cups (2 servings) greek yogurt

Mix the flax into the yogurt, divide into 2 bowls, and set aside.  In a small sauce pan over low heat, warm the honey, lemon juice, and ginger until combined.  Add the pears and continue to cook over low heat, gently tossing the pears to coat them in the honey.  Cook for 5 to 10 minutes (this will depend on how ripe your pears are) until the pears soften just a bit but still retain some bite.  Put half of the pears in each bowl on top of the yogurt, then drizzle the sauce over both.  Sprinkle each with half of the toasted pecans.  Enjoy!