Baked Pear with Autumn Granola

I can't believe this day has actually arrived! The day we delivered our first all organic boxes! We've been talking about this for what feels like FOREVER and we've been planning for months, maybe years! I hope you are happy with what you received. I'd say it's a pretty awesome start to what I know will catch on quickly. Thank you for being one of our first organic box customers! Because of you we will be able to help organic farms and suppliers see less of their hard work and their beautiful product go to waste! 

Today I feel like celebrating, so it seemed as though a dessert was in order! We haven't seen pears yet in our boxes this season and they've been calling to me ever since we rescued them on Wednesday. A simple, yet special pear dish featuring other fall flavors like maple and pumpkin seeds felt like the perfect first organic recipe to share with you! I plan to curl up on my couch tonight with this and a glass of Cab under my warm blanket. Sound good to you too? Let's get to it! 

Baked Pears with Autumn Granola 

Serves 4

What You'll Need: 

2 or 3 Perfectly Imperfect Pears

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

1 Tbsp. pepitas (or pumpkin seeds)

3 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. butter 

Greek vanilla yogurt or vanilla ice cream (optional)

What You Do:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. First wash the pears and slice them in half. Use a spoon or a melon baller to scoop out the seeds to create a small indentation in the pear. Place on a baking sheet and brush with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon. In a small bowl combine, rolled oats, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, 2 Tbsp. maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt. Mix well to combine. Spoon on to a greased baking sheet. You could even make extra to use for breakfast. 

Place the pears and the granola in the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and the pears softened. Remove both from the oven. Spoon a bit of the granola on top of the pear (into the area you spooned out). Drizzle the pears with one more Tablespoon of maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Serve with a dollop of yogurt or ice cream if you desire.

I hope you'll enjoy this recipe as much as I enjoyed preparing it for you. I may have called it a dessert here, but it's actually so simple that you could even have it for breakfast. Thank you for your support of Perfectly Imperfect Produce. Welcome to our food waste fighting team! Make sure you share all your kitchen creations with us this week by tagging your photos on Facebook and Instagram @perfectlyimperfectproduce! Have a great weekend!