Arugula!
Arugula is my number one go-to green. I put it on EVERYTHING! I like a little bit of bitter, and it has good tooth—texture you can sink your teeth into. Arugula plays well with others, especially seasonal fruits like blueberries, roasted cherries, apricots. Throw it in with other lettuces, in a frittata, into a pesto. Throw it on top of soup! Top it with sardines. Throw it in at the last minute of scrambling an egg. On top of toast with smushed avocado. The topping looks like green hair! Like that girl in school who had that curly kind of crazy hair? Like that.
It’s kind of my savior.
What could be easier than grabbing a handful or two out of a bag, box or farm-market stash and plopping in whatever you’re doing? Drizzle on a little olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt. Done.
It’s a member of that super healthy clan, the cruciferous family—cancer-fighting food, good for cardiovascular health, fabulous for the liver, and exceptional brain food. Endowed with ample stores of B6, zinc, folate, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Plus it’s 25% protein. Did you know you were getting all that with every bite? Up the nutrient density even more by throwing in additional herbs, whichever you feel like. They’re all so good, and so good for you.
Beyond Recipes: Arugula Combinations
Arugula raises ups your culinary game!
It makes any meal more elegant. Try it with:
- Asparagus
- Avocado
- Avocado toast
- Avocado, radish, mint
- Roasted beets, pistachios or almonds, and a little bit of goat cheese or feta
- Fennel
- Feta, goat, or Manchego (sheep) cheese, all good
- Chickpeas
- Eggs! Omelets, frittatas, fried egg, hard boiled egg
- Whole grains salad
- Garlic
- Other greens like bibb lettuce
- Hazelnuts
- Lemon and lemon zest
- Lentils
- Tabouleh
- Red onions and spinach
- Chiles
- Citrus
- Cucumber, feta, quinoa, red onions, tahini, tomatoes—(my Friday salad)
- Fennel & grapefruit or oranges.
- Apples & walnuts
- Mint, olives and red onion, with some tomatoes
- Kalamata olives, olive oil, balsamic vinegar
It’s ubiquitous these days, in boxes or bags. And if you’re a gardener, this is a great green to grow. Store in an airtight container. Just rinse what you need. It will hold for a week! If it turns a little yellow, throw it in with some other greens and saute it.
Simply delicious arugula salad recipes
Cherries have a short summer growing season, so you’ll want to make the most of them when they show their cute, plump selves. Here the sweetness of the roasted cherries, the peppery freshness of arugula and the bite of goat cheese with a high note of balsamic vinegar is especially delicious. And blueberries in season add an extra dash of color and piquancy, too!
A top favorite salad from my book The Longevity Kitchen. How can you miss, with this easy, flavorful combo of roasted asparagus, arugula, hazelnuts, lemon and extra virgin olive oil, with a dusting of freshly ground pepper and sea salt?
When company was coming and I was running out of time to execute a more complex dish, I threw everything into a bowl and voila! A sensational salad. It turns out sweet dates, peppery arugula, creamy goat cheese, toasted walnuts, and sprightly mint do a very lovely dance together.