Cherry Balsamic Arugula Salad

Arugula is a delicate leafy green with a unique peppery taste. Like some of the other vegetables that are harvested early in Spring arugula has a slightly bitter taste, a flavor not too common in Western cuisines but one that is prized by some of our oldest nutritional schools of thought including Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, “the science of life” from India. Foods with bitter flavors are connected to improved digestion, enhanced cleansing and increased strength and vitality.
Many of these holistic views on health and nutrition instill the importance of eating a variety of foods and flavors and eating what is available locally and seasonally. Spring is a transitionary time between the darker days and heavier foods of winter and the lighter food of livelier and longer summer days. Traditionally it is one of the best times to focus on cleansing and balancing out what and how we eat. Adding in lighter salads and more raw produce can help build up our vitamin, mineral, antioxidant and enzyme levels, supporting our bodies as we become more active as the days get longer. For this salad I used a light balsamic vinaigrette, chives and dried cherries to add in the full spectrum of flavors in addition to bitter- pungent/spicy, astringent sweet, sour and salty. All of the flavors (5 in TCM and all 6 in Ayurveda) are believed to have different effects in the body and are important to incorporate regularly to promote a healthy balance. We now know through modern science that different flavors are connected to different nutritional profiles and that incorporating all of them, like incorporating all colors is a good way to ensure getting a wide range of nutrients. The dried cherries can be replaced with dried cranberries or fresh pomegranate, if going with dried fruit try to get some that doesn’t have any added sugars, cheap oils or sulfur dioxide. If you go to farmers’ markets keep your eyes open for dried fruits, that’s where I got these cherries and they are the best quality and best tasting ones I have found.

Cherry Balsamic Arugula Salad
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS:
  • 4 cups arugula
  • ½ cup dried cherries
  • 2 tablespoons chives
  • 1 tablespoon cold-pressed olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • A dash or two each of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Toss all the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl until evenly combined and serve.

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