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Category: Arugula

  • Arugula Salad.

    Arugula Salad.

    Arugula is a tender green in the brassica family. Its flavor is nutty, spicy and peppery. Some people describe it as ‘bitter’ and don’t like the pungent ‘bite’ of the undressed leaves. Fair enough, let’s fix that! By adding just a little (or a lot!) fat (oil, cheese, olives, nuts, avocado) and acid (vinegar, lemon, lime, orange) this dressing tames and rounds out the heat and bitterness of the arugula. Now you can customize the salad further with your favorite additions of protein, fruit or nuts you’ll have a really interesting satisfying salad.

    Arugula Salad

    •  Arugula (a CSA portion is what I used, it’s about 7 ounces), washed and dried

    • 2 tablespoon oil (olive, walnut are both great but any kind), more as needed

    • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or vinegar, more as needed

    • Kosher salt and pepper to taste

    • 2 ounces, shaved or grated cheese (goat, parmesan are great) again, more as needed.

    • Optional add-in ingredients; any chopped fruit (fresh or dried), flavored oil, nuts (candied nuts are especially good) any cooked protein, salmon and grilled tofu are really good.

     Directions

    In a serving bowl, drizzle the arugula with the oil, squeeze in the lemon juice (or vinegar), and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss with your hands, make sure all of the leaves are covered with dressing and taste for seasoning. If it is too tart add a little oil and toss, if it isn’t tart enough add a little lemon or vinegar and toss and taste again, it should taste bright but have a nice mouth feel of oil coating the leaves. Don’t forget salt and pepper. Add the optional add-ins if using now.

    I really hope you non-arugula lovers try this. You arugula lovers already know how good this is!

    Have a great week.

    Mo

     

  • Turnip and Arugula Salad with Honey, Almonds and Mint

    Turnip and Arugula Salad is simple and satisfying using only a few ingredients. Add grains like quinoa or protein like grilled tofu or salmon for an easy meal.

    Turnip and Arugula Salad with Honey, Almonds and Mint
    Makes about 4 servings

    3 or 4 hakurei turnips thinly sliced
    2 T fresh lemon juice or more as needed
    1 t honey)
    3/4 t salt
    4 cups washed and loosely packed arugula
    A small handful of fresh mint leaves or basil or parsley
    2 T Olive oil or more as needed
    Optional but delicious so you should add one or more! 1/4 c sliced almonds-or any nut chopped-Cheese, avocado, grains, any additional toppings you like!

    Directions:
    Combine the sliced turnips in a small bowl with the lemon juice, honey, and  salt. Let sit for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally.  (I put the mint in there, opps)

    Combine the arugula and mint in a medium bowl, drizzle on the oil. Add the turnips and dressing to the arugula and toss to incorporate. Taste, and season with more lemon juice, oil, and/or salt as needed.

    Add delicious optional ingredients and dig in.

    Happy eating — see you at pickup! Mo

  • Arugula Pesto

    Updated October 2026.

    My favorite pesto is made from arugula. It’s not nearly as pungent as basil pesto and so much easier to make, not having to remove the leaves from the stems like you have to with basil. It only takes a few minutes to pull together and is easily adapted with it’s few ingredients to use what you have and like.

    You can scale this recipe up if you like. It doubles or triples easily.

    • 1/4 to 1/2 cup any type nut or seed you like. I’ve used almond, walnut, cashews, macadamia nuts (yum) hemp seeds, sunflower seeds. they are all fantastic.
    • about 2 cups washed and dried arugula ( used a little less than half a bag)
    • juice and zest from one lemon, start with half the lemon and taste and add as you go
    • 1/3 to 1/2 or more light flavored olive oil. If it’s too bitter use a neutral oil or mix olive oil and a neutral oil.
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • optional ingredients, a handful of soft herbs like mint, basil or parsley (get creative!) and/or a few tablespoons of parmesan cheese, a little splash of balsamic vinegar is nice if your olive oil is a little more bitter than you like.

    Place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse repeatedly until uniformly chopped and well combined.

    Store Arugula Pesto in a mason jar in the the fridge for 4-5 days, or freeze for wonderful meals later.

    I like to have some pesto in the freezer to have on hand in the winter. I know people put the pesto in ice cube trays and move the frozen cubes into a Ziploc bag and just grab a cube when they need it. You can do that.  Sometimes for easier storage I like to put the whole batch in a large Ziploc and just break off what I need. This went into the freezer to lay flat. Original photo from 13 years ago! :-)
    Bag for Freezing