australian desserts: Salads

Showing posts with label Salads. Show all posts

Fresh Green Bean, Walnut, & Feta Salad

Fresh Green Bean, Walnut, and Feta Cheese Salad dressed with olive oil and fresh mint vinaigrette. It may sound bizarre, but it's one amazingly delicious flavor combination!

The flavor combination of this salad may sound a tad bit, well ... strange ... to some, but believe me, it's aMAZing. The snap of fresh green beans, with the crunch of chopped walnuts, the saltiness of crumbled Feta, and refreshing zing of fresh mint pair just beautifully. In a most surprisingly wonderful way.

Fresh Green Bean, Walnut, and Feta Cheese Salad dressed with olive oil and fresh mint vinaigrette. It may sound bizarre, but it's one amazingly delicious flavor combination!

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Egg Salad with Olives {in Honor of the 1st Day of School}

Today is our first day of school for this year! And I'm having this Egg Salad with Olives for lunch. But that's not why I'm posting this egg salad today. Nope. I'm actually posting it in honor of my teacher co-worker and friend, Deborah. Why, you ask?

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Pesto Tortellini Salad with Asparagus

One of the joys of summer is the abundance of fresh basil. I just adore fresh basil. And in this salad, I used it in one of my favorite ways to enjoy it - pesto. Then I combined it with one of my favorite pastas - cheese tortellini. Then I added one of my favorite vegetables - fresh asparagus. And that gives us this gorgeous Pesto Tortellini Salad with Asparagus!

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German Potato Salad

I have yet to meet a potato salad I don't like. I'm a carb-a-holic, you see, and potatoes definitely fall in the yummy carb category for me. And one of my absolute favorite potato salads is vinegar-based German Potato Salad.

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Spinach Strawberry Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

I can't think of a kind of salad I enjoy more than spinach with strawberries.

Add in some candied almonds and it's practically dessert.

Seriously.

And y'all know how I like dessert.

Ahem.

So when we had some spinach and strawberries on hand last week, I had to make a salad. My dear friend Christen makes an awesome spinach salad with bacon and strawberries - I wanted to make it but didn't have raspberry vinegar for the dressing, or any spare bacon lying around (what was the matter with me...we should always have bacon!) so I had to search for something else.

When I saw this strawberry vinaigrette, I knew I had to try it.

It's simple, goes together quickly, and only has 2 Tablespoons of oil in the whole batch - so it must be low fat....right????

And it adds simply marvelous strawberry flavor to the spinach salad. I just loved it.

Spinach Strawberry Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
(dressing from The Gracious Pantry)

Dressing:
(makes 1 1/3 cups)

1/2 pound fresh strawberries
2 Tbsp. honey (or more to taste if your berries aren't very sweet)
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar (use organic, raw vinegar if possible)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Adjust honey to taste.

Salad:
1/4 cup sliced/slivered almonds
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
8-10 cups fresh spinach
Sliced strawberries

In a small skillet over medium heat, stir almonds and sugar until sugar is dissolved and almonds are toasted. Be careful not to scorch them, stirring often and reducing the heat if necessary. The sugar takes several minutes to melt. Pour onto a plate and crumble into pieces once cool.

In a large bowl, toss spinach, sliced strawberries, and candied almonds. Pour dressing over to taste.

I can't think of a kind of salad I enjoy more than spinach with strawberries.

Add in some candied almonds and it's practically dessert.

Seriously.

And y'all know how I like dessert.

Ahem.

When I saw this strawberry vinaigrette, I knew I had to try it.

It's simple, goes together quickly, and only has 2 Tablespoons of oil in the whole batch - so it must be low fat....right????

And it adds simply marvelous strawberry flavor to the spinach salad. I just loved it.

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Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad

Okay, I know what many of you may be thinking already ... 'Brussels sprouts in a salad? Really, in a salad??'

Oh, yes ... in a salad. And this Brussels Sprouts Salad is sooooo good. It's one of our absolute favorites, and we have it at least once a week or so. Yes, it's that good.

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Antipasto Pasta Salad

It's officially summer for me! I finished up in my classroom today, and am now footloose-and-fancy-free for the summer. Yay! I don't have all my summer adventures figured out yet ... but I'll get 'em figured out soon, I'm sure. And I'm sure some of those adventures will include a cookout or two! Oh, I'm sure you're thinking hot dogs ... or hamburgers ... or a nice juicy steak. But when I think summer cookout, I think pasta salad. Yes, pasta salad. I'm all about the sides! And this no-mayo Antipasto Pasta Salad is one of our cookout absolute favorites.

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Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad - SRC

We have been in our new house for just over a week now.....and while we only have a couple of photos on the wall (where the previous owners had left nails), we have gotten through enough of the boxes to find the essentials and settle in, somewhat.
Having the flu sweep through our family certainly hasn't helped the process. It's hard to get anything done when you're caring for sick kiddos. And poor Grant was hit hardest of all. Me, well, I'm escaping with just a few days of body aches and some serious congestion - no body-racking coughs or fevers.
Blech.

But it's reveal day for my Secret Recipe Club group - so I had to make a little time for blogging.

This time I was assigned to La Phemme Phoodie. Wendy is a lawyer by day, a foodie all the rest of the time. She has some great articles on her blog about legal issues in food blogging, such as Recipe Attribution
and Trademark Infringement, along with several others. She also has quite a few gluten-free recipes that sound so tempting, like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes and Lemon Blueberry Bars with Coconut Crust..

But when I saw the recipe for this salad, I knew I just had to try it. The spicy chipotle peppers are tempered by the mellow sour cream and tangy lime juice in the dressing, and the combination of crisp greens with the Tex-Mex ingredients is delightful.

The dressing is very thick, so it doesn't pour very well, but when you give everything good toss, it ends up coating the salad quite nicely. The original recipe called for quite a bit of cilanto. They say either you love or hate cilantro. Grant is definitely in the "hate" category. He despises the stuff. So I left it out.

The recipe also called for avocado - but since I seem to have developed a sensitivity to it (it gives me a horrible stomach ache for hours afterwards - has anyone else ever heard of/experienced that??) I omitted it also.

I decided to saute the chicken in barbecue sauce instead of just plain roasting it - we loved it, but you could certainly cook the chicken seasoned however you prefer.

My girls thought this was a little on the spicy side, but Grant, Corban, and I thought it was great. Grant even went so far as to say it was one of his favorite meals. Hands down. He doesn't say that often, so I know that it's a real winner.

Thanks, Wendy, for inspiring this awesome salad!!

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad (adapted from La Phemme Phoodie)

Dressing:
2/3 cup light sour cream
1 T. minced chipotle chile, canned in adobe sauce
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground chili powder
4-5 tsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Salad:
1-1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T. oil
1/4 cup barbecue sauce

3 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves
3-4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn (toss in colandar with beans and rinse with hot water to thaw)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced peeled avocado (optional)

Corn chips, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

To prepare dressing, combine the first 7 ingredients, whisking well. Stir in cilantro, if desired. Set aside.

To prepare salad, begin with the chicken. (If you have leftover roasted or cooked chicken, you can substitute it with no problems). Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Heat the oil in a large skillet, add chicken and barbecue sauce, and cook over medium heat until no pink remains in chicken.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach, romaine, tomatoes, red onion, beans, corn, cheese, avocado, and cooked chicken. Pour dressing over the top and stir gently to coat evenly. Serve immediately.

If you think you'll have leftovers, I recommend keeping the chicken and dressing in separate containers from the salad, so nothing gets soggy or wilted.

I forgot to add the cheese for the photos. We added it at the table. Delish!

Linked to Trick or Treat Tuesday

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Kale & Apple Salad with Honey

Whew! Don't know about you, but I ate way too much sugar over the holidays. I'm definitely feeling the need for some veggie-ness in my life right about now.

Enter ... our newest favorite salad green - kale. Mark loves kale so much I swear I could make him a huge kale salad every day without him getting tired of it. And I love the way kale is more 'sturdy' than lettuce, giving a little more heft than the typical green salad.

But that 'sturdiness' can also be problem ... a too-chewy problem. Ahhhhhhh, but I've learned a secret ...

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Fruit Salad Cheesecake

Holy cow! Can you say B.U.S.Y.????? I feel like I have been running ragged the past few weeks! And, from what I hear 'around,' it seems to be a trend with lots of folks right now. I haven't been in the kitchen at all for about the past two weeks ... we've eaten take out three times this week ... and I've resorted to my stash of 'emergency' frozen foods for the remaining nights. I'm ready for life to settle down a bit. How 'bout you?

Now, the crazy-busy'ness for me is coming mostly from work. The start up of the schoolyear is kickin' my pa-tooty this year! It's always busy for teachers at the start of the schoolyear, but this year is waaaayyyyyy extra busy. We're implementing a 100% completely new curriculum, our staff of instructional assistants was cut in half due to budget constraints, and I have ... well, shall we say ... the most academically diverse class I've ever had. But I'm persevering, will get things running smoothly without running myself ragged, and will be back in the kitchen soon.

[DISCLAIMER: Contrary to my husband's opinion, the prior statements do not constitute 'complaining.' They are simply statements of fact about the current situation, which absolutely is not complaining He seems to confuse the two ... silly, silly man.]

So, for today's post I'm turning to a dish I've had in my queue for a while but just haven't shared yet. I have quite a few of those. I seem to be able to make stuff and photograph it much more quickly than I can edit all those photos and write posts. That queue of stuff sure comes in handy for crazy-busy times like now!

I'm excited to finally share this Fruit Salad Cheesecake with you!

Mark is actually the one who found this recipe. He was reading a magazine while we were visiting his mom one weekend, and it had a page of recipes in it. Obviously knowing how much I love to cook and try out new recipes, he scanned for anything he thought would be of interest to me ... and landed on this Fruit Salad Cheesecake. Isn't he sweet?

Well, he was certainly right ... this recipe was indeed of interest to me. I mean, Fruit Salad Cheesecake?? I had never heard of such a thing! And, of course, had to give it a try.

Think upscale fruit cocktail wrapped in a creamy, light-and-fluffy cream cheese-and-whipped-topping blanket. And what a different way to present fruit salad! I loved it.

I tried it out in two sizes ... full-size cheesecake made in a 9-inch springform pan, and these individual mini cheesecakes made in muffin tins.

Both worked, so size choice is just a matter of what presentation one wants to make.

So, how do you make this unique fruit salad? er, cheesecake?

Simply make a crushed pineapple, cream cheese, and gelatin mixture with a little simple simmering on the stovetop. Then mix in some halved fresh grapes, mandarin orange slices, coarsely chopped maraschino cherries, and chopped pecans.

Fold in some whipped topping, and pour the mixture into a vanilla wafer crust. Chill ... and you're done! Pretty easy, huh?

For the individual mini fruit salad cheesecakes, I wasn't quite sure what would work best as a method for them ... so, I tried a few different ways:

1. Pouring the fruit salad mixture into muffin cups first, topping with three vanilla wafer cookies as the crust, with the plan of then inverting them when I removed them from the pan.
RESULT: Not so great. The vanilla wafers didn't 'fit' well, and they just looked kind of messy when inverted.

2. Placing a single vanilla wafer in the bottom of foil cupcake liners, and pouring the fruit salad mixture on top.
RESULT: Didn't like the look of the ridges from the foil liner, but it wasn't too bad a method.

3. Placing a single vanilla wafer directly in the bottom of muffin tin cups, without any type of cupcake liner, and pouring the fruit salad mixture on top. My worry with this one was that I wouldn't be able to get the mini cheesecakes out of the pan.
RESULT: This was my favorite method. I liked the look of the smoother sides, and ...

... the 'remnants' left in the pan when removing the cheesecakes was minimal. I simply sprayed the pan very lightly with nonstick cooking spray, and ran a knife around the edge of each mini cheesecake before lifting it out of the pan.

The vanilla wafer cookie doesn't completely fill the bottom of the muffin cup, so the bottom comes out looking like this:

... but I don't think it looks too bad! (Hey, how many people will turn their fruit salad over to check out the bottom anyway?)

I think they look pretty cute served up on a cake stand!

So, whether you make individual minis ...

... or a full-sized cheesecake, this is one decidedly different way to serve fruit salad! er, cheesecake. er, fruit salad cheesecake. er, whatever!

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Fruit Salad Cheesecake

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home, as published in Carolina Country magazine, May, 2012

Ingredients

Crust:

1 1/2 c. vanilla wafer crumbs (I give vanilla wafer cookies a quick whirl in the food processor)

2 T. butter, melted

Filling:

1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. cold water

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, cubed

1 1/2 c. halved seedless grapes

1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained and cut in half

1 (10 oz.) jar maraschino cherries, drained and roughly chopped

1/2 c. finely chopped pecans

2 c. whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)

Directions

For the Crust:

1. In a small bowl, combine vanilla wafer crumbs and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

For the Filling:

2. In a small saucepan, cook crushed pineapple and sugar over medium heat for 5 minutes or until heated through.

3. Place cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle with gelatin; let stand for 1 minute. Stir gelatin mixture into the warm pineapple mixture.

4. Reduce heat to low and add cubed cream cheese. Cook and stir until cream cheese is melted and the mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and cool completely.

5. Stir the grapes, mandarin oranges, cherries, and pecans into the cooled cream cheese mixture. Fold in the whipped topping. Pour into prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

For Minis: Instead of making vanilla wafer crumbs and butter mixture, place a single vanilla wafer cookie in the bottom of muffin tin cups that have been very lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Fill muffin tin cups full with fruit salad mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Enjoy!

Both worked, so size choice is just a matter of what presentation one wants to make.

So, how do you make this unique fruit salad? er, cheesecake?

Fold in some whipped topping, and pour the mixture into a vanilla wafer crust. Chill ... and you're done! Pretty easy, huh?

The vanilla wafer cookie doesn't completely fill the bottom of the muffin cup, so the bottom comes out looking like this:

... but I don't think it looks too bad! (Hey, how many people will turn their fruit salad over to check out the bottom anyway?)

I think they look pretty cute served up on a cake stand!

So, whether you make individual minis ...

... or a full-sized cheesecake, this is one decidedly different way to serve fruit salad! er, cheesecake. er, fruit salad cheesecake. er, whatever!

Fruit Salad Cheesecake

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home, as published in Carolina Country magazine, May, 2012

Ingredients

Crust:

1 1/2 c. vanilla wafer crumbs (I give vanilla wafer cookies a quick whirl in the food processor)

2 T. butter, melted

Filling:

1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. cold water

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, cubed

1 1/2 c. halved seedless grapes

1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained and cut in half

1 (10 oz.) jar maraschino cherries, drained and roughly chopped

1/2 c. finely chopped pecans

2 c. whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)

Directions

For the Crust:

1. In a small bowl, combine vanilla wafer crumbs and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

For the Filling:

2. In a small saucepan, cook crushed pineapple and sugar over medium heat for 5 minutes or until heated through.

3. Place cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle with gelatin; let stand for 1 minute. Stir gelatin mixture into the warm pineapple mixture.

4. Reduce heat to low and add cubed cream cheese. Cook and stir until cream cheese is melted and the mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and cool completely.

5. Stir the grapes, mandarin oranges, cherries, and pecans into the cooled cream cheese mixture. Fold in the whipped topping. Pour into prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Enjoy!

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Couscous Salad with Pomegranate Seeds & Mint {Eating the Alphabet Letters P, Q, R}

It's Eating the Alphabet challenge time! This month's letters? ... P, Q, or R. Oh, wow, there were so many possibilities with this letter set. Despite that, though, it was not hard for me to choose my dish to share ... I immediately knew I was going to share this Couscous Salad with Pomegranate Seeds & Mint. It's one of my all-time absolute favorites!

I know, I know ... the flavor combination may sound a bit, well, ... odd. But believe me, it's soooooo good. The sweetness of the pomegranate seeds and dried currants, with the 'refreshingness' (yup, I think I just made that word up) of the fresh mint is wonderful. And the pomegranate seeds and walnuts also bring a fantabulous crunch. Mmmmmmm, mmmmm ... yummy for my tummy. It makes my tummy do a little happy dance.

Now, you can certainly seed your own pomegranate ... click here for a great tutorial on that. One word of caution on this topic ... do heed the advice to do this with the pomegranate underwater. I may have learned this lesson the hard way. I plead the 5th.

And this may .. or may not ... be why I now cheat with this little task. See? Beautiful pomegranate seeds all already out of their pomegranate wrapper. Ahhhhhhh, you gotta love Trader Joe's.

Aren't the colors of this salad gorgeous? I think so! ... Little currant, pomegranate, and mint leaf gems sprinkled throughout to make your eyes ... and tummy ... happy. So go ahead ... grab some pomegranate seeds and fresh mint and give your tummy a little happy dance!

I invite you to follow The Kitchen is My Playground with Pinterest, Facebook, Google Friend Connect, Linky Followers, bloglovin', or Feedburner. Buttons are in the right sidebar. I'd love to have you back soon!

Couscous Salad with Pomegranate Seeds & Mint
Source: Adapted from Cooking Light magazine

Ingredients
1 (10 oz.) box plain couscous
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. pomegranate seeds (approximately 1/2 of a pomegranate)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
About 1/3 c. chopped fresh mint
About 1/3 c. chopped fresh parsley
2 T. dried currants

Directions
1. Prepare couscous according to package directions. Fluff couscous with a fork and place in a large bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients.

2. Chill for about an hour prior to serving.

Note: This is also wonderful served immediately, while still hot, as a side dish.

Enjoy!

Click to join the Eating the Alphabet Challenge!

This post is linked with Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Sundae Scoop, Think Pink Sunday, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sunday Showcase Party, Mix It Up Monday, Marvelous Mondays, On the Menu Monday, Mangia Mondays, Trick or Treat Tuesday, Full Plate Thursday, Share Your Creations, Sweet Treats & Swanky Stuff, Inspiration Friday, Foodie Friday, Feasting in Fellowship Friday, Foodie Friday with Diane Balch, Weekend Potluck.

Couscous Salad with Pomegranate Seeds & Mint
Source: Adapted from Cooking Light magazine

Click to join the Eating the Alphabet Challenge!

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Curried Chicken Salad & Back to School Super Powers Needed

It's back to school time! Well, I've worked through my denial that summer is over ... and have almost made it through my first week back to first grade. Now I absolutely love teaching ... but, whew! ... the first week of school can just about wear you out!

Getting twenty little ones settled into classroom routines and procedures while simultaneously working through all the start-of-the-year paperwork, getting to know new-to-me parents, learning the little ones' personalities, implementing a new curriculum, easing little ones' anxieties about a new class and teacher, kicking off start-of-the-year assessments, and practicing fire drill and lockdown procedures ... twice in four days, mind you ... is, well, just a wee bit hectic.

Has anyone got a cloning machine? Or maybe those little magic bracelets Wonder Woman wears? Or how about the ability to fold your arms across your chest, blink, nod your head and ... poof! ... whatever you need is there like Jeannie?

If you do, please share! ... 'cause I could sure use another me or some super powers.

Seriously, all in all, my new little darlings are doing great.

But I could still use some super powers.

Until those fall from the sky, I guess I'll just power-up with one of my favorite bring-to-school lunches, Curried Chicken Salad.

Happy back-to-school, everyone!

Curried Chicken Salad

Source: Adapted from Oprah magazine

Ingredients

About 4 c. diced cooked chicken breast (about 2 to 2 1/2 lbs.)

1/2 c. spicy brown mustard

1/3 c. honey

1 1/2 tsp. curry powder

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 c. chopped pecans

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

2. Serve over greens or as a sandwich filling.

Enjoy!

This post is linked with Foodie Friday with Diane Balch, Inspiration Friday, Weekend Potluck, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Tuesday Talent Show, Trick or Treat Tuesday, Share Your Creations Thursday, Sweet Treats & Swanky Stuff, Full Plate Thursday.

If you do, please share! ... 'cause I could sure use another me or some super powers.

Seriously, all in all, my new little darlings are doing great.

But I could still use some super powers.

Until those fall from the sky, I guess I'll just power-up with one of my favorite bring-to-school lunches, Curried Chicken Salad.

Happy back-to-school, everyone!

Curried Chicken Salad

Source: Adapted from Oprah magazine

Ingredients

About 4 c. diced cooked chicken breast (about 2 to 2 1/2 lbs.)

1/2 c. spicy brown mustard

1/3 c. honey

1 1/2 tsp. curry powder

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 c. chopped pecans

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

2. Serve over greens or as a sandwich filling.

Enjoy!

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Marinated Fig and Arugula Salad with Blue Cheese & Walnuts

I am soooooo excited about this salad. I absolutely love, love, love fresh figs. Adore them. I mean, majorly huge crush.

And let me just tell you, I was fortunate enough to end up with a whole slew of fresh figs to take home with me this weekend. Yup, for the fourth week in a row I was on the road ... this week Mark and I were 'home' visiting our families.

At home, there are fig bushes.

And the season's second crop of figs had just started ripening on one of those fig bushes.

So right before we got in the car to come back home, we were given the go-ahead to clean out all the ripe figs to come on home with us. Score for me!

Tugging on branches and reaching as far as we possibly could, we ended up with a big ol' platter full. Aren't they gorgeous?

But before we get to this absolutely amazingly delicious fig salad, let's back up and talk a bit about fresh figs.

Prior to meeting my husband, the only thing I knew about figs was the inside of a Newton. Had never had a fresh fig. Had never seen a fig growing. Clueless.

Then I started going to my mother-in-law's farm. And I met fresh figs. Oh, how wonderful a day that was! Mark couldn't believe I'd never seen fresh figs. Man alive, I had been missing out.

Now whenever we're 'home' during fig season, I walk right out to the figs and eat them straight off the bush. So juicy, yummy, and sweet! Here's one of my mother-in-law's fig bushes ...

... and baby unripe figs growing nestled in the branches.

When they turn kinda purple-ish brown-ish ... it's time! Time to enjoy their squishy deliciousness.

We seek out the ones with cracks in the skin ... like this one ...

... they're the sweetest! It's actually surprising I had a 'cracked' one like this to take a picture of ... they don't usually make it into the house, gobbled up as soon as they're picked from the branch.

Now, to make this marinated fig salad ...

... take some gorgeous fresh figs, cut them in half, and marinate them in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, honey, and olive oil.

(Oh, and just look at the beautiful inside of a fig! Did you know the inside is actually the flowers? Yup, a fig is really an inside-out flower. Cool. Weird - but cool.)

Arrange the marinated figs on a bed of arugula, top them with a smidge of blue cheese and some walnuts, and you have a fabulous seasonal treat to behold. So incredibly good.

I think I've got just enough figs left to make this salad one more time ... if all the figs don't just get popped in our mouths, that is. Hmmm, I'd say they've got about a 50/50 chance of making it to a salad plate.

Marinated Fig and Arugula Salad with Blue Cheese & Walnuts
Source: A Tracey original, marinade adapted from Southern Living Magazine

Ingredients
For 2 servings:
10 fresh figs, halved
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
4 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. honey
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Tiny pinch of salt
About 2 c. arugula
About 1 T. blue cheese crumbles, or more/less to taste
About 2 T. coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions
1. Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, and salt in a bowl; whisk until well combined. Add figs and stir gently to coat.

2. Set aside and let stand for 30 to 45 minutes.

3. Divide arugula and place on two salad plates. Place figs on top of arugula and drizzle with a small amount of the marinade. Top with blue cheese crumbles and walnuts.

NOTE: The combination of the marinated figs and blue cheese is absolutely fabulous, but be aware that the blue cheese can easily take over the flavor of this salad. I recommend using the blue cheese sparingly, and adjusting the amount to suit your personal taste.

Enjoy!

This post is linked with On the Menu Monday, Trick or Treat Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Tuesday Talent Show, Whatcha Whipped Up Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday, It's a Keeper Thursday, Share Your Creations, Full Plate Thursday, Sweet Treats & Swanky Stuff, Foodie Friday, Inspiration Friday, Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday with Diane Balch, Weekend Bloggy Reading, Strut Your Stuff Saturday.

Now whenever we're 'home' during fig season, I walk right out to the figs and eat them straight off the bush. So juicy, yummy, and sweet! Here's one of my mother-in-law's fig bushes ...

... and baby unripe figs growing nestled in the branches.

When they turn kinda purple-ish brown-ish ... it's time! Time to enjoy their squishy deliciousness.

We seek out the ones with cracks in the skin ... like this one ...

Now, to make this marinated fig salad ...

... take some gorgeous fresh figs, cut them in half, and marinate them in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, honey, and olive oil.

(Oh, and just look at the beautiful inside of a fig! Did you know the inside is actually the flowers? Yup, a fig is really an inside-out flower. Cool. Weird - but cool.)

Marinated Fig and Arugula Salad with Blue Cheese & Walnuts
Source: A Tracey original, marinade adapted from Southern Living Magazine

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