Let’s talk salads for a minute. I eat a salad almost everyday and sometimes twice a day. Salads are my lunch-time favorite and let’s face it, if I wasn’t married and didn’t have to cook for someone else, I would probably just eat salads every night for dinner as well.

I was recently inspired to make this recipe when I was in Fresno at a book signing for my husband’s new book. Yes, I said “my husband’s new book.” I need to brag a bit because I’m very proud of him and super excited! You can check it out here  and feel free to order a copy. All proceeds from the book sales support the Every Monday Matters K-12 Education Programs, helping millions of youth learn and embrace how much and why they matter. Your doing good and giving back. How cool is that?

It had been a long day at the book signing, filled with talking to people and shaking hands, when I realized I hadn’t eaten lunch. I was suddenly ravenous and going downhill quickly. We were planning on driving back to LA ( a 3-hour drive) right after the signing, but there was no way this hangry vegan was not going to eat first.

Long story short, we ended up at California Pizza Kitchen where I ordered an arugula salad, much like this one, and a vegan soup. I was so hungry it seemed as if it was the best salad I had ever eaten in my life. (Lightbulb moment: I need to make this at home.) It’s just a few simple ingredients, and I make a killer lemon vinaigrette to toss it in.

The combination of arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, toasted marcona almonds, and vegan parmesan tossed in homemade lemon vinaigrette, makes this salad recipe a whole lot of yum. I’ve made it four times in the past 2 weeks. It’s that good!

Arugula salad with Homemade lemon vinaigrette

This recipe is quick and simple to make and it will quickly become a favorite.  

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Prep Time 30 mins

Course lunch. dinner

Ingredients

  

• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes soaked and chopped
• 4 cups arugula
• marcona almonds toasted
• vegan parmesan cheese optional

Lemon vinaigrette

• 2 large lemons juiced (1/3 cup)
• zest of one of the juiced lemons
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• SOAK. In a small bowl, cover the sun-dried tomatoes in warm water and let soak for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, drain sun-dried tomatoes and pat dry with paper towel. Chop into small pieces.
• COMBINE. In a medium salad bowl, combine arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, Marconi almonds and vegan parmesan, if using.

DRESSING

• COMBINE. In a small bowl or mason jar, combine lemon juice, zest of 1 lemon, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, minced garlic, salt & pepper and whisk. Add 1/3 cup olive oil pouring slowly into the dressing while whisking. Taste and adjust seasonings adding more salt & pepper if needed.
• DRESS. Dress the salad with 1/3 of the dressing and toss to combine. ADD more dressing, if needed. 
• SERVE. Serve on salad plates with some extra fresh ground pepper.

Notes

Marcona almonds are imported from Spain. They are shorter, rounder, softer and sweeter than the California variety. They are blanched and roasted in olive oil and then sprinkled with sea salt. You can find them at Whole Foods, high-end grocers, or online. 

The basic vinaigrette ratio. A good rule of thumb is to follow a 1:3 acid-to-oil ratio. For this recipe, I chose a 1:1 ratio to give it more zing, but adjust the proportions to suit your taste.

Keyword arugula, lemon vinaigrette, salads, sundried tomatoes

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Hub’s book. Click on photo to go to Amazon for more information.