The last couple of times we've had guest over for dinner I've made this recipe. I love the simplicty of it and it's very good too!

A Lyon in the Kitchen-Discovery Health

Ingredients
------------

1 tablespoon EVOO
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of Champagne vinegar
1 shallot thinly sliced
1 cup baby arugula
1/4 cup pecans

In a large bowl, add champagne vinegar, shallot, salt and pepper, and whisk in some EVOO. Add baby arugula and crushed, toasted pecans. Toss at the last minute.

I love this salad:

Arugula Salad with Figs, Prosciutto, Walnuts, and Parmesan 4 tbls olive oil
2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto cut into strips
1 tbls raspberry jam
3 tbls fig balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup dried figs, chopped into inch pieces
1 tbls finely chopped shallot
5 cups baby arugula
½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
2 oz Parmesan, shaved into thin strips

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 10 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat; add prosciutto and fry until crisp, stirring frequently for about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towel to drain and cool.
2. Whisk jam and vinegar in medium microwave-safe bowl; stir in figs. Cover with plastic wrap, cut several steam vents in plastic and microwave on high until figs are plump, about 45 seconds. Whisk in 3 tablespoons oil, shallots, ¼ tsp salt; toss to combine. Let cool to room temperature.
3. Toss arugula and vinaigrette in large bowl; adjust seasonings with salt. Divide salad among individual plats; top with portion of prosciutto walnuts, and Parmesan.

This one is Ann's, I had in my folder to try!

Pear Salad with Spicy Candied Walnuts (Ann T)

1/2 cup candied spiced walnuts (see recipe)
1 cup Zinfandel dressing (see recipe)
1/2 cup high-quality blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 pound assorted baby greens (arugula, baby frisee, baby lolla rossa) or mesclun mix

Make candied spiced walnuts and Zinfandel dressing first. After the pears have been poached, cut them into quarters and slice each quarter into four slices. Fan the slices, forming a half moon, and place in the center of a plate. Toss the greens with enough of the dressing to coat the greens. Using too much will wilt the greens. Place the tossed greens in the crescent of the pear. Sprinkle with crumbled cheese and candied walnuts. Drizzle some of the remaining dressing around the perimeter of the greens.

This salad could also be presented family-style with all the ingredients simply tossed together in a bowl and served on a platter. Makes 8 servings.

ZINFANDEL DRESSING:
1 1/2 cups Zinfandel (divided)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick, about 3 inches long
20 turns fresh ground pepper (about 1 teaspoon)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 Anjou pears, peeled and cored
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil

Combine 3/4 cup Zinfandel, sugar, cinnamon stick, pepper and salt in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer very slowly until the liquid thickens and becomes similar to a syrup. This will take 1 to 11/2 hours. If mixture reduces too fast, it will become bitter. Dressing can be done in advance to this point, then refrigerated.

When ready to complete, add pears and return syrup to a simmer. Spoon liquid over them or turn them frequently. Pears are done when they are soft and easily pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes.

Remove pears from the syrup and store in a covered container. Reserve the poaching liquid to finish the vinaigrette.

Combine remaining 3/4 cup wine and reserved Zinfandel syrup and bring to a simmer. Reduce mixture by two-thirds. You should end up with about one-third cup. It should be thick and syrupy. Transfer mixture into a stainless steel bowl and whisk in mustard and vinegar. While continuously whisking, very slowly stream in canola oil. If this step is done too fast, the oil will not emulsify. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate.

SPICY CANDIED WALNUTS:
1 cup sugar (divided)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup walnut halves
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a slow boil. Reduce to a simmer and add walnuts.

Mix spices and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a medium stainless steel bowl. When walnuts have begun to soften, after about 8 minutes, strain them out of the liquid and transfer them immediately to the spice mixture. Shake them around in the bowl until they have been completely covered with the mix. Sift them out of the spice blend, saving the spices for making this dish again or for another use. Transfer nuts to an airtight container, but do not refrigerate.

Your recipes all sound wonderful. I went to lunch today, and ordered their wonderful crabcakes. They were served with a salad that included asian greens and arugula, finely shredded carrots and heirloom cherry tomatoes with a creamy balsamic dressing. I really liked it so tomorrow I'm going to recreate it.

I like making pesto with it. Just use a typical basil pesto recipe without the basil and you can omit the cheese without any disastrous results. It's great with penne and you can either serve it warm or add other things and use as a base for pasta salad.

Another way to use it up: dress it with some s&p, EVOO, lemon juice and put it on top of a plain pizza, optional grated asiago cheese on top.