Registered dietician and food blogger Annie Cavalier of My Healthful Life believes healthy food doesn’t have to be boring or bland. Here, Cavalier puts an autumnal spin on the traditional arugula salad inspired by her favorite fall foods. “Arugula is one of my favorite greens for making salads,” she says. “Each topping is not only delicious, but is also packed with nutrients.” Cavalier suggests using her recipes as a starting point and personalizing from there. “I like to think of recipes more as guidelines rather than hard rules to follow,” she says. “The more you cook, the less you will need to read amounts of ingredients and can go off feel more than anything else.”
(Serves 4)
Arugula, Beet, and Pistachio Pesto Salad with Lemon Dressing
Ingredients
- For the Salad
- For the Pesto
- For the Dressing
- 4 cups tightly packed arugula
- 4 medium sized beets*
- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil
- 1/2 cup raw pistachios, shells removed
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash and peel the beets. Make sure that all leaves and stems have been cut off, then chop into one-inch pieces. Mix the beets and 1 tsp of olive oil in a bowl, and stir until evenly coated. Spread the beets out on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and roast in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until you can easily pierce them with a knife. Set them aside to cool.*
To make the pesto, combine the basil, pistachios, salt, and pepper in a food processor, and pulse until well blended and the pistachios are chopped into smaller pieces. Slowly add 1/2 cup of olive oil and the juice of 1/2 lemon, and pulse until well blended and it reaches the desired consistency. Pesto is typically best when there are still some chunks in it, as opposed to being completely pureed.
For the salad dressing, mix 1/4 cup of olive oil, the juice of one lemon, and the Dijon mustard in a bowl. Whisk until combined. Place the arugula and beets in a large bowl and sprinkle the goat cheese on top. Drizzle on the desired amount of pesto and lemon dressing.
*You can also use pre-cooked beets if they are available at your grocery store and skip most of the first step.
(Serves 4)
Arugula, Honey Crisp Apple, and Pomegranate Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- For the Salad
- For the Dressing
- 4 cups tightly packed arugula
- 1 honeycrisp apple, cored and thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup feta
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp honey
Directions
Add the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, and honey to a small bowl, and whisk until combined. Place the arugula, apple slices, pomegranate seeds, chopped walnuts, and feta in a bowl, and drizzle on the dressing as desired. Mix before serving.
(Serves 4)
Arugula, Sweet Potato, Pear, and Dried Cranberry Salad with a Maple-Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
- For the Salad
- For the Dressing
- 4 cups tightly packed arugula
- 1 medium sized sweet potato
- 1 medium sized pear, cored and thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup pecan halves
- 3 tbsp dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash the sweet potato and chop it into one-inch cubes. Leave the skin on for some extra fiber. Mix the sweet potato, 1/2 tsp olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl, and stir until evenly coated. Place the sweet potato cubes on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cook for 45–50 minutes, or until soft, stirring occasionally. Once finished, set them aside to cool. Make the salad dressing by combining the olive oil, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice in a bowl and whisking until combined. Place the arugula, sweet potato, sliced pear, pecans, cranberries, and goat cheese in a large bowl, and drizzle on the salad dressing as desired. Mix before serving.
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