Spinach and Pear Salad with Pecans, Feta & Mint

So good. So, so good. This is an adapted version of this entry from Marth Rose Shulman's wonderful little book, Main-Dish Salads.

Salad:
~fresh spinach, baby or otherwise
~mixed greens (optional; if all that spinach is just too much sometimes!)
~fresh mint leaves (experiment with amounts as you wish; chopping large leaves into smaller pieces is recommended. if i had to say an amount: perhaps 7 or 8 leaves per plate. yum!)
~pears, washed, cored and sliced (bosc are usually best for this, but you can use bartlett, d'anjou, whatever! i never peel mine first, but i'm sure you can if you want to.)
~some red onion, very thinly sliced (the thinner the better! and not too much.)
~feta cheese, crumbled (any kind and amount you like; sometimes i don't have any feta, and the salad is still plenty delicious.)
~pecans (i highly recommend toasting them ahead of time. you can use a toaster oven or a frying pan. then break them up into small pieces, or leave them whole if you like! a handful per person or so.)

Wash all greens (including mint leaves) and dry, removing any stems or icky bits along the way. Place desired amount of foliage on plate(s). Add pear slices as desired, maybe like a quarter or a half of a pear per person. Throw down some feta, add a few sliced onions on top, and finish with the toasted pecans. Drizzle with dressing.

Dressing:
~2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
~1 Tbsp vinegar (i've used everything from balsamic to red wine to raspberry. all delicious. the book calls for sherry or champagne vinegar, neither of which i've ever owned. if you have them, by all means try them!)
~1 tsp mild-flavored honey (i usually up this to 2 tsp, but that's just me.)
~1/2 to 1 tsp dijon mustard to taste
~1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
~1/4 cup olive oil
~salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Throw everything in a clean jam jar, seal tightly, and shake. Alternatively, whisk everything together in a bowl. Add to salad as you see fit, and save any remaining! It's good for a few days, usually. Also delicious: add some fresh dill to the dressing. This is amazing when substituting grapefruit for the pears. But if you do that, leave the onions out. And um.... enjoy!
This salad is great with some baked garnet yams, mashed with a little lime juice. And a glass of Martinelli's! Okay, bye for now.