Salads
Arugula Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette and Honey Spiced Macadamia Nuts
My daughter and I are back home from our week-long road trip down to Alabama and after 7 days of
Arugula Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette and Honey-Roasted Macadamia Nuts is a light and summery salad that’s anything but light on flavor. The salad dressing takes several days to make, but it’s worth the wait. It produces a thick, syrupy dressing that’s a nice contrast to tangy goat cheese and peppery arugula.
This could actually be called triple blueberry salad because there are blueberries in the vinaigrette, fresh blueberries in the salad, plus I used a wonderful blueberry goat cheese. Yes, I love blueberries! The blueberry goat cheese is a wonderful local product made by Round Mountain Creamery in Black Mountain, NC. There has really been an explosion of farms in that area producing their own cheeses. They sell a bunch of flavored goat cheeses, but this one with blueberries, pecans, and lemons is phenomenal in salads, on sandwiches, crackers, or smeared on a toasted bagel. You can order their cheeses online.
With the crunch of some spicy/sweet macadamia nuts, this salad will get you out of your ordinary salad rut. Add some grilled chicken or shrimp and call it a meal.
More Blueberry Recipes
Blueberry Macadamia Nut Muffins
Grilled Shrimp with Blueberry Salsa
Recipe
Arugula Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette and Honey Spiced Macadamia Nuts
Ingredients
- 8 cups baby arugula
- ½ a cucumber, (thinly sliced)
- ½ red onion, (thinly sliced)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- ½ cup goat cheese
Blueberry Vinaigrette
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- several strips of lime peel, (green part only)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Honey Spiced Macadamia Nuts
- 1 cup whole macadamia nuts
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- 1
Make the Vinaigrette. First make a blueberry flavored vinegar. In a small saucepan, crush the blueberries with a fork or potato masher. Add vinegar, sugar, lime peel, and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and discard cinnamon stick.
- 2
Let mixture cool and place in refrigerator for 24 hours. Strain the mixture into a bowl, using a fine-mesh strainer. Use a wooden spoon to press as much liquid out as possible. Discard solids.
- 3
In a small bowl combine 3 tablespoons of the blueberry vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. Gradually whisk in olive oil.
- 4
Make Macadamia Nuts. Preheat oven to 350°.
- 5
Mix all ingredients together and spread out on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 6 minutes, stir the nuts, and bake for 6 to 7 more minutes (careful not to burn the nuts.)
- 6
Combine arugula, cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, and blueberries in a large salad bowl. Top with goat cheese and macadamia nuts. Drizzle with vinaigrette.
