pear-walnut sandwiches

These delicious, nutritional sandwiches have it all—a good, nutty crunch juxtaposed with the smooth-mouth feel of cream cheese and the sweet note of pears. Crisp, ripe Bartlett pears and toasted walnuts from autumn’s outdoor pantry blend beautifully in these quick and tasty sandwiches. Try them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Pair them with a sweet soup (carrot-ginger, roasted red pepper and tomato, etc.) for a complete dinner.

¹/2 cup (4 ounces) tub-style light cream cheese

8 (1.1-ounce) slices cinnamon-raisin bread, toasted

2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts, toasted

2 Bartlett pears, cored and thinly sliced

1 cup alfalfa sprouts (or try arugula, spinach or your favorite green)

Spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese evenly over each of 8 bread slices. Sprinkle ¹/2 tablespoon walnuts evenly over each of 4 bread slices. Top each evenly with pear slices, sprouts and 1 bread slice. Cut each sandwich in half diagonally. Makes 4 servings.

Per Serving: 335 calories; 11grams (g) fat; 8.7 g protein; 52.2 g carbs; 5.9 g fiber; 15 milligrams (mg) cholesterol; 2 mg iron; 363 mg sodium; 56 mg calcium.