Everyone should know how to make a basic, easy to make, flavorful, healthy salad to round out a meal. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be time consuming or overly complicated. I have found the best tasting healthy foods are actually the ones that are the easiest to make. Instead of long lists of ingredients with complicated directions, focus on combining a short list of flavor packed, high quality, healthy ingredients. Keeping it simple makes it so much easier to eat healthy. This delectable salad recipe is inspired by one of our favorite seafood restaurants. Their house salad is comprised of a bed of fresh crisp greens tossed in a flavorful vinaigrette and topped with blue cheese crumbles. So simple, but utterly irresistible!
It all starts with the easy to make Lemon-Dijon vinaigrette dressing. When you realize how ridiculously easy it is to make this Lemon-Dijon Vinaigrette and how few ingredients you need you will be slapping yourself for not making it before. This is by far our most favorite dressing. Not only is it delicious, it’s light, and refreshing and good for you too.
Have you ever looked at the incredibly long list of ingredients on a bottle of commercially made salad dressing? The print on the side of the bottle is so small it’s hard to read without a magnifying glass. They taste great and we all love the convenience; all you have to do is crack open the bottle. But if you look closely you will see that many of them contain weird ingredients like Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol, Alginate, Calcium Disodium EDTA, and Carrageenan. What are all these ingredients? I don’t have any of them in my pantry, do you?
Xanthan Gum is produced through a bacterial fermentation process and used as a stabilizer and thickener in foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and various industrial processes. Bacterial fermentation? What kind of bacteria are they using exactly? It’s used in various industrial processes?
Carrageenan is widely used in the food industry, for its gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties.
Calcium disodium EDTA is commonly used as a preservative in canned foods.
Calcium alginate is a water-insoluble, gelatinous, cream-coloured substance extracted from seaweed. Gelatinous…sounds delicious doesn’t it?
This ingredient is the most concerning, Propylene glycol is a sweet colorless, viscous, hygroscopic liquid used as an antifreeze and in brake fluid. It’s also used in cosmetics and personal care items so products retain their moisture. It can cause harmful effects if absorbed through the skin. Why would this harmful, potentially toxic ingredient be in a bottle of salad dressing?
It’s ironic that while we are all trying to coax our kids to eat healthier foods like salads, we toss them in a cocktail of harmful, potentially toxic dressings.
Enough bad news, now for the good news! You can make some of the best tasting salad dressing in under 5 minutes, at home using healthy, common ingredients you probably have in your pantry and fridge all the time.
I love playing around with contrasting flavors and textures in recipes. Instead of topping this salad with commercial, overpriced, stale, flavorless croutons this salad is topped with good for you toasted pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas. Toasting brings out their flavor and adds some welcome crunchiness to the party. Yes it’s an extra step, but it’s well worth taking the couple minutes it takes to toast them.
Did you know that pumpkin seeds have an impressive nutrient profile that benefits many aspects of your health? They’re a rich source of protein, unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals that reduce risk factors of chronic diseases, including cancer. That’s a lot of health in a tiny little seed!
Toast Pumpkin Seeds:
Place seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat. Toss them around in the pan until they are lightly toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let them cool down while you make the remaining ingredients for the salad.
Make the dressing:
Place lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a glass jar.
Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the brightest, best, tart flavor.
Screw on lid and shake to combine.
Assemble salad:
Place arugula in a large bowl. Pour dressing over arugula and toss to coat the leaves.
To serve:
Place a bed of the dressed arugula on a plate. Top with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts and blue cheese crumbles.
Not a fan of blue cheese? Substitute with a fresh crumbled Feta cheese instead. Not a fan of Arugula? Substitute with a mix of fresh spring greens or baby spinach leaves instead.
Serve salad immediately.
This salad dressing will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks. This is my kind of bottled salad dressing, it’s delicious, uses only all natural ingredients, and you won’t find any Propylene Glycol in this vinaigrette! You can definitely feel good about serving this to your family.
Stop buying those commercial, chemical laden salad dressings and make this one instead. I make up a big batch and store it in the fridge so it’s ready to go. It will keep for up to two weeks.
My whole family loves this salad and it’s the perfect side to round out all your meals. Perfect with grilled steaks, chicken, pork chops, and salmon. The dressing is a lovely bright, tangy contrast to the sharp creamy blue cheese, peppery arugula leaves, and nutty toasted pumpkin seeds. It’s such an easy to make salad that’s such a party of fresh flavors that will make everyone enjoy eating their salad. It has become my go to salad when I want something light, refreshing, and delicious to compliment a meal.
Easy To Make, Lemon-Dijon, Gorgonzola, Arugula Salad
Equipment
- glass jar with tight fitting lid
Ingredients
- 4 cups arugula
- 4 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup blue cheese, crumbled
For the dressing:
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
Toast pumpkin seeds:
- Place pumpkin seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat.
- Toss them around in the pan until they are lightly toasted, about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove seeds from heat. Set aside and let them cool down.
Make Vinaigrette:
- Place lemon juice, Dijon mustard, olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a glass jar.
- Screw on lid and shake to combine.
Assemble Salad:
- In a large bowl, pour dressing over arugula leaves and toss to coat.
- Place dressed arugula leaves on a plate. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds and blue cheese crumbles.
- Serve immediately.
Did You Make This?
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Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 6:35
Remember…Jesus ❤️’s you!