Blueberry Arugula Herb Salad
For your next Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or Graduation brunch, serve this Blueberry Arugula Herb Salad and enjoy the accolades!
This is an easy, beautiful and very delicious salad. The dressing, candied pecans and pickled red onions can all be made in advance. The salad can all be tossed together hours in advance (add the dressing right before serving). And, how about the edible flowers? Simply gorgeous, don’t you think?
Both the Easy Candied Pecans and the Quick-Pickled Red Onions take about 10-15 minutes each to make. The Honey Mustard Lemon Dressing can be made hours or days in advance. Go ahead and make these ahead of time, and the day-of prep will be that much simpler.
Combine the arugula, herb leaves, radicchio and cucumbers in a serving bowl. You can make the cucumbers look pretty by running a zester down the sides of the cuke to create a flower design. Or don’t…either way, it’s perfect!
As for the herbs, using any combination you like. I used two different types of basil, dill and mint leaves. By the way, my sweetie gave me a wonderful gift of a counter-top herb garden. I will tell you that it’s one of the best gifts that he’s given me! It’s the gift that keeps on giving! It’s got six different types of herbs in it and they are hearty and tasty!
I bought a second one to fill with edible flowers. Edible flowers are a great way to “pop” a dish. They add so much color and can also add flavor, depending on what you use. They can be tricky to find, if they aren’t in season (I prowled the grocery stores and the garden stores before deciding to grow my own). Here’s the herb garden that I was given. Since they didn’t have much choice for the edible flowers, I purchased empty pods and bought edible flower seeds from my local nursery. Check out the herbs and edibles (I mean flowers, not that other type of edible!) below. The flowers are just starting (some sprout earlier than others). It’s pretty cool!
When you are ready to serve the salad, distribute the blueberries on top (yes, you can use blackberries, raspberries, or strawberries in place of the blueberries) and sprinkle the red onions, pecans, goat cheese and flowers over the top.
Serve the dressing on the side. The dressing is fabulous on any salad you can think of so make extra!
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Blueberry Arugula Herb Salad
Makes: 12 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the Honey Mustard Lemon Dressing:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 & 1/2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
For the Salad:
- 5 ounces baby arugula
- 2 1/2 cups fresh herb leaves
- 1/2 small head radicchio, torn in bite-size pieces (optional)
- 1/2 medium English cucumber or 3 small Persian cucumbers
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1/4 cup Quick-Pickled Red Onions (optional)
- 1/4 cup Easy Candied Pecans, or to taste
- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese
- Pansies or other edible flowers for garnish (optional)
Instructions
For the Honey Mustard Lemon Dressing:
Combine all ingredients in a medium-size glass jar and shake. Dressing can be kept at room temperature for several hours or refrigerated for longer storage. Shake again before serving.
For the Salad:
Combine all ingredients except for the blueberries, red onions, candied pecans, goat cheese and pansies (if using) in a large bowl and gently toss. Top with blueberries, , red onions, candied pecans, goat cheese and pansies (if using). Serve the dressing on the side.
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