This salad was delicious and a big hit with my friends. We especially liked the pear/creme cheese part. As one friend said, "Pears with creme cheese? How can you go wrong!" However, I agree with the other reviewer who said that there may be too much going on so next time I think I will make just one part or the other - just the salad w/ carrot mixture, or just the pears with filling. Most of my guests took it apart and ate it this way anyways. I used craisins instead of raisins, and would recommend trying it that way.

Reviewed On: Nov. 11, 2009

They're right about browning the rice before cooking... it really makes a delicious flavor. I have made this recipe several times and always do it a bit differently. My favorite is to skip the salsa and instead start the whole thing out by throwing a bunch of over-ripe fresh tomatoes and other random veggies into some broth and cooking till they get soft, then putting in the rice. You end up with nice big veggie pieces in the rice that way and it only takes an extra 5 mins or so.

Reviewed On: Oct. 22, 2009

This was delicious in a mellow, summery way. I used piles of tomatoes. Instead of olive oil, I just used italien dressing, which was cheaper and gave it a really good flavor. The green onions are key.

Reviewed On: Oct. 22, 2009