If you haven’t tasted arugula, especially baby arugula, then you’ve missed out on a wonderful leafy green. Did you know that arugula is popular in Mediterranean Europe, where it is called ‘Rocket’? It is characteristic for its nutty, peppery taste, and of course, its high nutrient value.
I first ate my arugula – not in a salad – but over a pizza! Our local (now sadly closed in my town, but other locations are open) restaurant called Fireside Pies served a delish pizza topped with fresh baby arugula leaves. At first glance, the leaves looked weird, if you know what I mean. Not like spinach, or fenugreek, or the more common greens that I was used to eating. The edges of the leaves were jagged and the leaves were a lovely dark green.
Baby Arugula Salad
It was love at first sight and first taste. I was totally taken in by the texture of the leaves and how peppery they tasted. It was almost as if Mother Nature had spiced up the leaves gently.
Since the first experience of arugula leaves over pizza, our Homemade Pizzas always are topped with arugula leaves. I’ve also been searching for other ways to use these delicious greens. They didn’t taste that great when cooked; in any case, I hate to cook greens since they lose their nutrition drastically.
It was then that I decided to try out a salad, primarily made out of arugula leaves. It was a resounding success on the very first try! Since then, this wonderful salad has been a regular feature at our lunch table. I’d love for you to try this salad and let me know what you think of it. Go ahead and make your modifications and share that as well.
This salad tastes great even with this wonderful Apple Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing.
Why Baby Arugula?
You might be wondering if you can use regular arugula for this recipe. Sure, you can. However, do remember that mature arugula leaves need to be massaged to make them more enjoyable. Moreover, the texture of mature arugula leaves is similar to my Kale-Pear-Turnip-Goat Cheese Salad, which tastes at its absolute best when the kale leaves are gently massaged with your fingers before mixing other ingredients. With baby arugula, you don’t need to make any effort. The leaves are tender and will easily work into your salad dressing.
Superfood arugula is fully packed with nutrients. Science-based facts are that arugula is rich in nutrients like potassium, folate, and vitamins A and C. All these are essential to keep inflammation in check and improve skin/eye/bone health.
If You Love Salads…
…we have more for you! Check them out.
- Sprouted Black Chana Sundal | Kadale Kaalu Usli
- Tropical Pineapple & Bell Pepper Salad
- Harvest Salad with Spinach-Apple-Pomegranate
- Raw Dosakaya Salad
- Spicy, Tangy Sprouts & Carrot Salad
- Spicy-Sweet Jicama Salad
- Summery Quinoa Salad
- Zesty Carrot Garbanzo Usli
- Colorfully Crunchy Strawberry-Grape-Kale Salad
- Balsamic Caprese
- Carrot-Cucumber Kosumbari
- Tabbouli/Tabbouleh
- Kale-Pear-Turnip-Goat Cheese Salad
- Sprouted Moong-Cucumber Kosumbari Salad
- Hearty Chaat Salad
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Baby Arugula Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Baby Arugula Salad:
- 4 Cups Arugula - Baby arugula is tender!
- 8 Olives - Green or Black; Diced
- 1/4 Cup Red Bell Peppers - 1" pieces
- 1/4 Cup Onion - Red onions
- 2 Figs - Or 1 fresh prune. Chopped
Salad Dressing:
- 2 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Clove Garlic - Minced
- 1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt - Or to taste
- 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Instructions
Salad Dressing:
- In a small bowl, add balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, black pepper, salt and olive oil. Whisk until everything is well blended together. Set this aside. You can make larger quantities of this salad dressing and store in the refrigerator for upto a week.
Salad Preparation:
- To a large mixing bowl, add baby arugula leaves.
- Add olives, red bell pepper and chopped red onions.
- Cut up two dried figs (fresh fruit will work too) and add it to the salad mix.
- Pour salad dressing over the veggies, and toss well. Serve fresh!
