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Arugula, berries and goat cheese salad with poppy seed dressing recipe

Arugula-berries-and-goat-cheese-salad

It takes a village to make a salad. Well, it takes my village to make this salad: raspberries and blueberries from Bob and Charlotte, goat cheese from Christine (a cheesemaker-in-training), baby arugula from a farmstand up the road, all brought together by a simple poppy seed dressing from ingredients I always have in the pantry. One taste of this salad, and you'll want to move to my town and meet my friends, or at least get their addresses so you can collect the ingredients. Poppy seed dressings often contain onion (this one doesn't) and mustard (this one doesn't), and a little bit of sugar (this one does). I make mine just slightly sweet, a perfect counterpoint that doesn't overwhelm the bite of the arugula. Dark leafy greens and antioxidant-rich blueberries pack a powerful nutritional wallop -- a nice bonus in something that tastes so good.

Antioxidant-rich arugula, berries and goat cheese salad with poppy seed dressing.

Arugula, berries and goat cheese salad with poppy seed dressing  {vegetarian}

From the pantry, you'll need: cider vinegar, granulated sugar, olive oil, kosher salt, fresh black pepper, goat cheese.

Makes 1/4 cup of dressing. Salad serves 2; can be multiplied.

Ingredients

For the dressing:
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp poppy seeds
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp fresh black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil

For the salad:
2 cups baby arugula
3/4 cup berries: blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a mix
2 oz fresh goat cheese

Directions

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all ingredients for the dressing. Shake the jar vigorously, until the dressing emulsifies.

In a small mixing bowl, toss the arugula with just enough of the dressing to coat the leaves lightly. Divide into two individual serving bowls. Top each with half of the berries, and half of the goat cheese. Drizzle a small amount of dressing over the top, and serve. (Note: you'll have extra dressing. It will keep in the refrigerator in its mixing jar for up to 1 week.)

[Printer-friendly recipe.]


More goat cheese ideas:
Grilled vegetable and goat cheese puff pastry tart with zucchini, mushrooms, peppers and onions, from The Perfect Pantry
Goat cheese and basil bruschetta, from The Perfect Pantry
Grilled flatbread with figs, goat cheese, prosciutto and arugula, from Former Chef

A wonderful seasonal salad! Use any berries you can find.

Need more ideas for how to create salads with pizzazz? Get Dress Up Your Salad, my e-book packed with easy mix-and-match recipes, full-color photos and a few fun videos. Exciting salad recipes from everyday ingredients can be just one click away, on any computer, tablet or smart phone, with the FREE Kindle Reading app. Click here to learn more.


Disclosure: The Perfect Pantry earns a few pennies on purchases made through the Amazon.com links in this post. Thank you for supporting this site when you start your shopping here.

Comments

Lydia, the arugula, berries and goat cheese salad looks and sounds wonderful - need to get berries and since goat cheese is a staple, we'll be set to go - thanks for another tasty recipe.

I love the sound of this, especially how the dressing is just barely sweet!

Berries and Arugula - what a healthy combination of greens, fiber and antioxidants.

Now THAT is a perfect summer salad.

Elle, it's blueberry season here, and I love the combination of the tart blueberries with creamy cheese.

Kalyn, a lot of traditional poppy seed dressings are much too sweet for me.

Jeanette, this is a lot of goodness in one bowl!

Pattypro, I thought so, too. Colors, flavors, and lots of nutrients.

Speaking of my mom... this is a PERFECT salad for her and in fact I emailed it to her and she actually agreed! (she is picky!)

Carol, who could not love this combination?! Still, it's nice to know that picky moms will eat it!

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