An Arugula Salad To Remember...

I came up with this delectable salad the other night while frantically trying to pull some sort of dinner together after discovering that we were out of hotdogs (ya see, I told you it's not all gorgeous meals and slow-cooked food around here...)

After sulking about the lack of hotdogs for a while, inspiration struck -- zucchini fritters! I got a batch of them sizzling in the cast iron skillet and turned back to the fridge where a nice big bunch of fresh arugula from our CSA caught my eye.

I had to keep it simple since the kids were hungry and it was almost time for the baby's bath but I did take a few minutes to candy some pecans in butter, maple syrup, salt and garam masala. These candied pecans are the bomb! MWWAAHHH - I kiss my fingers at you in an Italian-style expression of appreciation for their deliciousness.

Then I chopped some dried cherries, squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, salt and black pepper over it all and tossed it to ensure that the crunchy, spicy, sweet bites would be nicely mixed in with the lemony, peppery greens.

A good meal was had by all. And I have since bought a big package of organic hot dogs, too, just in case...

Lemony Arugula Salad with Curried Candied Pecans & Dried Cherries
Serves 4

Ingredients

* Large bunch of arugula, washed and dried
* 1/2-3/4 cup candied garam masala pecans
* 1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped
* Juice of 1/2 lemon (you can add more if the lemon is not super juicy)
* A glug of olive oil
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Make the candied pecans - the simple directions are here.

2. While they're cooling, wash and dry the arugula then toss it with the olive, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste (adjust if you think it needs more lemon, oil, salt, etc.) Then throw in the cherries and the cooled pecans, toss again and serve!

You might also like:

• Roasted Delicata Squash & Tortellini Salad With Cranberries, Greens & Pepitas
• Brussels Sprouts & Kale Salad With Toasted Almonds & Parmesan
• Frisee, Apple & Celeriac Salad With Shallot-Citrus Dressing & Goat Cheese

Want even more recipes, photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration? "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.

An Arugula Salad To Remember...

I came up with this delectable salad the other night while frantically trying to pull some sort of dinner together after discovering that we were out of hotdogs (ya see, I told you it's not all gorgeous meals and slow-cooked food around here...)

After sulking about the lack of hotdogs for a while, inspiration struck -- zucchini fritters! I got a batch of them sizzling in the cast iron skillet and turned back to the fridge where a nice big bunch of fresh arugula from our CSA caught my eye.

I had to keep it simple since the kids were hungry and it was almost time for the baby's bath but I did take a few minutes to candy some pecans in butter, maple syrup, salt and garam masala. These candied pecans are the bomb! MWWAAHHH - I kiss my fingers at you in an Italian-style expression of appreciation for their deliciousness.

Then I chopped some dried cherries, squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, salt and black pepper over it all and tossed it to ensure that the crunchy, spicy, sweet bites would be nicely mixed in with the lemony, peppery greens.

A good meal was had by all. And I have since bought a big package of organic hot dogs, too, just in case...

Lemony Arugula Salad with Curried Candied Pecans & Dried Cherries
Serves 4

Ingredients

* Large bunch of arugula, washed and dried
* 1/2-3/4 cup candied garam masala pecans
* 1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped
* Juice of 1/2 lemon (you can add more if the lemon is not super juicy)
* A glug of olive oil
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Make the candied pecans - the simple directions are here.

2. While they're cooling, wash and dry the arugula then toss it with the olive, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste (adjust if you think it needs more lemon, oil, salt, etc.) Then throw in the cherries and the cooled pecans, toss again and serve!

You might also like:

• Roasted Delicata Squash & Tortellini Salad With Cranberries, Greens & Pepitas
• Brussels Sprouts & Kale Salad With Toasted Almonds & Parmesan
• Frisee, Apple & Celeriac Salad With Shallot-Citrus Dressing & Goat Cheese

Want even more recipes, photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration? "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.