Arugula Salad with Fig Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
½ cup whole pumpkin seeds
1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
kosher salt and pepper
- Fig Vinaigrette
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons fig preserves
2 garlic cloves finely minced or pressed
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
kosher salt and pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salad
6 to 8 cups baby arugula and/or spring greens
kosher salt and pepper
1 honeycrisp apple thinly sliced
⅓ cup dried tart cherries or cranberries
2 to 3 ounces goat cheese crumbled (I left this off)
Directions
- To make the pumpkin seeds, heat the pumpkin seeds in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the sugar, chili powder and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the sugar melts and is caramely, coating all of the pecans – about 6 to 8 minutes. Don’t take your eyes off of this as they can burn quickly! Transfer the pecans to a piece of parchment paper to let them cool. Break them into pieces if they are clumped – you can also chop them too.
- To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the vinegar, preserves, garlic, red pepper flakes and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. This can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for about a week!
- To assemble the salad, toss the greens with a big pinch of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Top with the thinly sliced apple, tart cherries, goat cheese and pecans. Drizzle all over with the dressing! Serve!