Let’s be honest most of the time salads are boring unless they loaded with lots of toppings like dried fruit, nuts and cheese, which makes the salad slightly less healthy, but so much tastier. I’ve played around with various different salad recipes and this arugula salad, which entails: chopped apples, Trader Joe’s omega trail mix, shredded carrots, crumbled feta cheese and balsamic dressing has become a part of my weekly meal plan rotation. I frequently will have this as a side dish with naan pizza, pasta, soup or with a sandwich. Today, I’m also sharing an adaption of the recipe in mini bread cups, which is a fun appetizer and is perfect for any holiday entertaining you might be doing in the next couple of weeks!
Arugula Salad with Balsamic Dressing – 1 serving
INGREDIENTS –
1/2 cup arugula
2 tablespoons Trader Joe’s omega trail mix
1.5 tablespoons red apple (whatever type you like), chopped
1 tablespoon crumbled feta
1 tablespoon shredded carrot
BALSAMIC DRESSING –
1 tablespoon balsamic dressing
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
RECIPE –
1. In a small bowl combine your balsamic dressing ingredients and mix throughly
2. Wash arugula in strainer and pat dry with paper towel
3. Put arugula in medium size bowl
4. Add your toppings: chopped apple, omega trail mix, feta and shredded carrots to bowl with arugula
5. Add balsamic dressing to bowl with salad and mix thoroughly
6. Enjoy!
Arugula Salad with Balsamic Dressing in Bread Cups – 2 mini
muffin cups
INGREDIENTS –
1/2 cup arugula
2 tablespoons Trader Joe’s omega trail mix
1.5 tablespoons red apple (whatever type you like), chopped
1 tablespoon crumbled feta
1 tablespoon shredded carrot
1 slice of bread (I like to use whole-wheat bread), cut in half with
crust removed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
BALSAMIC DRESSING –
1 tablespoon balsamic dressing
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
RECIPE –
1. Set oven to 350º F
2. Grease 2 cavities of a mini muffin tin tray (I like to use spray vegetable oil to grease the pan)
3. Cut your slice of bread in half and remove crust
4. Use a pastry brush (or knife) to coat bread pieces with melted butter
5. Put buttered bread pieces into 2 mini muffin tin cavities and form into a cup shape
6. Bake bread cups for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown
7. While bread cups are baking make salad by combining arugula and toppings; omega trail mix, chopped red apple, crumbled feta and shredded carrots
8. In a separate bowl add balsamic dressing ingredients and mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated
9. Add dressing to arugula salad and mix throughly
10. Once bread cups are cooled add 1 heaping tablespoon of salad to each bread cup
11. Enjoy!