Arugula Salad with Avocado and Berries

Fresh, green, and berry-licious! Arugula Salad with Avocado and Berries is so refreshing on a hot day. It’s topped with almonds, goat cheese, and a minty lime vinaigrette.

The toppings get all the attention, but the real star is arugula.

Arugula

I first heard of arugula in the movie My Blue Heaven. Steve Martin’s character, mobster Vinnie Antonelli, was in the witness protection program. He was lamenting the absence of arugula in the local supermarket and the grocery store manager didn’t know what it was.

That’s a 1980s American supermarket for you.

Arugula has been popular in Europe for a long time, having been cultivated and eaten in Ancient Rome. It eventually made its way to France where it was called roquette, and then on to England where it was dubbed rocket.

And what an appropriate name! Rocket. It describes the fresh and peppery taste of this leafy green.

It can be a fresh salad base, tucked into sandwiches, or strewn atop pizza and flatbreads. The tart, mildly bitter taste certainly wakes things up. I think it brings a bright counterbalance to dishes with meat, dairy, or grains.

Today, arugula is commonplace in grocery stores and farmer's markets. Its peppy look and flavor are something I like to always have on hand in the veggie drawer of my fridge.

In my cheese drawer, I have goat cheese.

Goat Cheese

I had someone in my circle of friends say that goat cheese is a chick thing; guys don’t eat it. Regardless of whether or not that is true, that shouldn’t stop you from putting goat cheese on this salad or on anything else. It’s delicious.

Goat cheese has been produced for several thousand years on both the European and Asian continents. Thanks to a higher ratio of medium-chain fatty acids and lower lactose content, goat cheese is easier to digest than cheese made from cow’s milk. These acids also give goat cheese its tangy flavor.
The goat cheese used in this recipe is unaged, creamy, and crumbly. It is fresh and tangy with a slight lemony taste. It, like arugula, has been showing up on American salads since the mid-80s.

While it is delicious on fresh salads, goat cheese is also great sprinkled over pizza and flatbreads, soups, and grain bowls.

Lessons Learned

• Look for arugula that is perky and not wilted. I find that the larger bags of this tender green can sometimes have soggy leaves in the middle of the pile.
• If you don’t have a mandoline, I highly recommend getting one! This salad has several lightweight ingredients, so when it comes to the cucumber slices the thinner the better.
• Want bread with this? Me too. Ligurian focaccia is a good choice.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Crowded Kitchen for the blackberry, avocado, and arugula salad recipe and to A Couple Cooks for the easy lime vinaigrette recipe inspiration.

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