My go to simple arugula salad

When I’m about to serve dinner and realize I’m missing green on my plate, this is my go to easy salad. 

Arugula is an awesome “lazy” way to get in leafy greens. It’s hearty so it holds up well with other foods and sauces or dressings, and it has a distinctive, slightly peppery flavor that makes it taste great on its own, raw or cooked. That means you can take it straight out of the container and throw it on your plate, and it combines well with most savory foods. Aka, making a proper salad is not necessarily required! When you do want to take a couple of extra moments, the combination of ingredients in this salad make it extra delicious.

Reasons to love arugula:

ALL leafy greens are nutrient powerhouses. They have an alkalizing effect on the body (we want our bodies to be slightly alkaline versus acidic) and are wonderful sources of chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants that facilitates light absorption during photosynthesis and supports energy, vitality, immunity, and detoxification and decreases inflammation. Since each leafy green has its own personality and nutrient profile, it’s best to eat a variety and switch them up occasionally to reap their unique benefits. Arugula in particular is rich in vitamin A, vitamin K, folate, calcium and potassium. Here are a couple of other reasons to love arugula:

• It’s a cruciferous veggie. We want to welcome antioxidant rich cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, collard greens, cabbage, bok choy and arugula into our diet, which are widely recognized for supporting cancer prevention, detoxification, blood sugar balance and gut health.  

• It’s a “bitter” green. “Bitter” is an important flavor that supports strong digestion, and may help to increase the production of digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid, and bile, which is produced in the liver and helps us digest fat and fat soluble vitamins. This digestive support helps us absorb the nutrients in our food better, preventing nutrient deficiencies.

  Bitter foods may also increase appetite by stimulating the production of the hunger hormone ghrelin, so bitter foods can be taken before or with meals to not only support digestion, but also to whet our appetite. And in our sweet taste loving world, the bitter flavor can be really balancing, helping to offset propensity toward higher glycemic foods, and supporting balanced blood sugar. Other bitter foods to enjoy include dandelion greens, radicchio, kale, swiss chard, endive, artichoke, dill and cacao.  

How to make it

Simply combine the ingredients below! Taste, and add ingredients to balance out the flavor profile as you see fit. I never measure but I’m including some approximate measurements for reference. 

Ingredients (for two, organic when possible)

3-4 handfuls arugula

TB extra virgin olive oil

½ TSP fresh lemon juice

10 olives

TSP Nooch It! Dairy free parmesan cheese alternative (or regular parmesan if you eat dairy)

2-3 grinds of Pink himalayan salt (or sea salt)

2-3 grinds of Pepper

You can also enjoy arugula with just a little extra virgin olive oil and quality salt, used as the green in a pesto, with pasta or to top a pizza. Although we want to push leafy greens into our smoothies whenever possible, this isn’t a leafy green I reach for for smoothies since it does have more of a peppery flavor (delish with savory foods, but maybe not so much with a strawberry smoothie).

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe — and that you’re inspired to bring some arugula into your life! What’s your favorite go to simple salad? Thoughts on arugula? Tell me in the comments! :)