Summer Fresh Arugula and Blueberry salad

Dedicated to: Indu

For me, always Summer = fresh salads!  I like to include anything that comes from friends’ gardens , farmer’s market and what looks fresh in the grocery store.

Today’s salad is in memory of my sister—who loved bitter greens, and following the trail of local seasonal fruits! Rich in flavor and texture, yet very simple—my pick today has only two items.  Arugula and blueberries.  We ate so many blueberries one summer after daily u-picks to Sauvie Island, Oregon that you would have thought my quota for life was done—but no, every summer I wait in keen anticipation for the bounty…albeit these days from Trader Joe’s,  in California where I live.

There are theories about not combining fruits and vegetables in your meals, but I personally love the texture and taste that combining them brings. Not to mention the gorgeous mix of colors.

The dressing, from a recipe that my sister taught me, is a perfect for summer- light and refreshing, it subtly enhancing the natural favors of salad mix.

The Dressing: combine olive oil, fresh lemon/lime and honey and whisk till the mix is viscous. You can substitute Apple Cider vinegar and agave for the lemon and honey. Olive oils and the quality of lemons differ so I am not going giving you exact proportions, except I will say the viscosity usually means you have achieved the right blend of tartness and sweetness, and the dressing has enough oil to properly coat the salad.  

Each to their own, but adding the dressing uniformly without squishing the delicate greens especially is best done with your hands. So wash your hands and mix the dressing in gently using your fingers.  Best to coat the salad right before serving!

Enjoy!  I raise my fork to you, Indu, with all my love—and all of you reading---to good times!