Fig & Arugula Salad

Arugula has a very special place in my heart. Growing up we’d eat this delicious and peppery leaf in salads tossed with tons of tomatoes, red onions and a tart dressing.

Today, i’m taking my love for this incredibly nutritious and delicious leaf and turning it into a gorgeous salad that’s perfect for your weekly lunches, family dinners and impressive enough to be served at a party. This salad comes together in absolutely no time. As long as you have the ingredients on had, there is extremely minimal chopping or cutting and very little washing and drying. The salad looks incredible when it’s tossed. It has a rustic feel that puts you in the alleyways of Italy sipping on some delicious wine and munching on this beauty.

The most time consuming thing about this entire recipe is making the croutons. Now, if you insist, you can just use store bought croutons, but i love seasoning my own croutons with my favorite oil and seasonings. This recipe takes some bread and seasons it with good quality olive oil and tons of salt & sumac. The tangy croutons pair so well with the peppery arugula and sweet figs.

My treat for this salad is the addition of the brie cubes on top. Obviously this is an optional topping as some people aren’t big into cheese so you can choose to leave it out but i’m big on cheese at all times, in all meals, in all forms. I personally have a love affair with the wild mushroom Brie cheese sold at Trader Joes. It is so incredibly creamy and delicious with a punch of mushroomy umami. Its perfect for this salad!

Give this recipe a try! Share your comments and some love. If you make this recipe and share it on social media, tag it with the hashtag #hungrilyhomemaderecipe

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

for the salad

1. 2 cups cubed toast or any crusty bread

2. 3 tbsp olive oil

3. 3 tbsp sumac

4. 5 cups arugula, washed & dried
5. 10 figs, quartered
6. 3/4 cup sliced almonds
7. brie, cubed (as much as you want!)

for the dressing
1. 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2. 1 tbsp olive oil

3. 2 tbsp dijon mustard

4. salt to taste

 Method

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees or use a toaster oven

2. in a small mixing bowl, toss together you cubed bread with the olive oil and sumac. season with salt and lay on a baking sheet and toast for 5 minutes or until the bread becomes crunchy and slightly golden.

3. while your bread is toasting prepare your dressing by whisking together your balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard and salt. Set aside.

4. in a large serving platter, prepare your salad by laying down your arugula first, top with your sliced almonds, followed by the figs.

5. Remove the croutons from the oven once they’ve completed and allow them to cool for a minute before laying them over your salad.

6. finish off with your cubed brie if you chose to add it.

7. drizzle the salad with your dressing and toss gently. Do not over-toss or you will smoosh the figs! Enjoy!