Summer is here, and with it comes wonderful blueberries. Whether you pick them yourself, find them at the grocery store, or your farmers market, this is the season to enjoy them. We often think of these blue balls of juicy berries as just sweet – but they are awesome in savory preparations as well.
We used arugula in our salad today, and not only is arugula considered a salad green – it’s also an annual herb of the mustard family! Native to Mediterranean area, this green leafy vegetable (Arugula) is also known as salad rocket or garden rocket. Botanically, it belongs in the family Brassicaceae. When you eat this salad, you’ll find just 25 calories, 3.65 grams of carbohydrates, and about 2.5 grams of protein, and 1.6 grams of dietary fiber in a cup of arugula. It also contains an impressive amount of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, folate. Talking about minerals, you’ll get plenty of calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, and iron from Arugula. What a great summer salad to dive into when it is sticky and hot out. Enjoy!
Summer Berry Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Dressing
2 – 3 Cups Chopped Cucumbers
2 Cups Prepared Red Quinoa
1/2 Cup Crumbled Blue or Goat Cheese
Shredded Cooked Rotisserie Chicken Breast, optional
2 Cups Blueberries
1/2 Chopped Toasted Pecans
4 Cups Baby Greens or Arugula
Blueberry Balsamic Dressing
Toss the Cucumbers, Quinoa, Blue Cheese and/or Chicken, Blueberries, Pecans and Arugula together on a large platter. Drizzle with the dressing.
Blueberry Balsamic Dressing
- 2 Cups Blueberries
- ½ Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 TB Honey, (optional if blueberries are not beautifully ripe)
- 2 TB Lemon Juice
- 1 TB Dijon
- 3/4 Cup Avocado Oil (or olive oil)
- Salt Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Place the berries, balsamic vinegar, honey if using, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper, to taste in a blender or food processor and process until fairly smooth.