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arugula salad with pears, apples, cashews, and dried cranberries in a white bowl
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Arugula Salad with Pears, Apples, and Cashews

This simple Arugula Salad with Pears and homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette takes only 30 minutes to make. It's a perfect salad to have with your weeknight dinner or to make for lunch or a mid-afternoon snack. Bring it with you to picnics, potlucks, and BBQ parties!
Course Salad
Cuisine American, Mediterranean
Keyword arugula salad with pears
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 301kcal
Author Julia

Ingredients

Arugula salad

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Instructions

  • To a large bowl, add arugula, cored and diced pear, cored and diced apple, dried cranberries, and half of the toasted cashews (¼ cup).
  • Chop up the remaining half (¼ cup) of toasted cashews into small pieces. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, make the balsamic vinaigrette by whisking together Balsamic vinegar with olive oil until emulsified.
  • Drizzle the balsamic vinaigrette over the salad.  Sprinkle the salad with chopped toasted cashews. Note: you don't have to use the whole amount of salad dressing.  Use just enough to drizzle.

Notes

  • Toast cashews in the preheated oven at 350 F for about 10 or 15 minutes until the nuts acquire a beautiful golden color.  Watch the oven carefully - the nuts can burn quickly.
  • Soak dried cranberries in boiling water for 5 minutes to plump them up and make them juicer.  Drain water well before adding the cranberries to the salad.
  • Use high-quality olive oil.  I prefer to use extra virgin olive oil, labeled as "first cold-pressed",  packaged in a dark bottle.  Such olive oil usually has a distinctive peppery or fruity taste and is flavorful enough to use as a salad dressing ingredient.
  • Use high-quality balsamic vinegar.  I use the balsamic vinegar labeled as Aceto Balsamico I.G.P.  High-quality balsamic vinegar is not as acidic as a regular one and has a thicker texture. Balsamic vinegar  labeled as Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale D.O.P. is also a great choice.

Nutrition

Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 362mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 877IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 2mg