Monday, April 18, 2011

Arugula Cucumber Salad


Someone throw me a life-vest!  Whew.... this last week has been one of "those" weeks.  You know, the one where you just can't seem to get a handle on things, where nothing goes as planned and no matter how hard you try you just can't seem to get it together.  Sleep deprivation, two sick pups, dishpan hands and hundreds of miles on the car have all combined to leave me very little time for myself and even less for cooking.  I haven't baked in over a week, and with a deep yearning for my whisk I feel a bit out of sorts.

A visit to the vet today will hopefully "plug" up the puppy issues with a round of antibiotics.  I've done more laundry in the last 5 days than I did when my kids were babies, thank goodness we opted for the larger washing machine when we replaced it a few years back!  That washer has been a trooper.

A quick note about Becky, from Baking and Cooking a Tale of Two Loves and her Online Bakesale which will be taking place on May 2nd.  Becky invited us to participate and we will be sending one lucky bidder a bottle of our homemade Limoncello along with a bag of our favorite Limoncello Lemon Biscotti and a few recipe cards.  The proceeds to the sale will all go to Becky's Relay for Life efforts benefiting the American Cancer Society.   Thanks Becky for your efforts in this event!!  (Time is still available if you would like to become a baker - simply contact Becky here)

Back to my busy week, my helpful husband offered to take over some of the kid activity driving this evening giving me a much needed opportunity to return to the kitchen and play with food.  Finding fresh salad ingredients in the fridge and remembering a recipe I'd seen in a Food Everyday Magazine from 2007 that I recently borrowed from my mom I adapted what I had on hand into a zesty yet simple salad.  Filled with spicy arugula (my new passion!) and spinach then cooled with cucumber, this vibrant salad is packed with Vitamins C, A and K bringing a healthy side to any meal.



Arugula Cucumber Salad
adapted from Food Everyday - May 2007 

2 Tbs red-wine vinegar
1 Tbs oil (I used grape seed oil)
1 tsp honey
scant 1/2 tsp ground coriander
arugula
spinach
1 Persian cucumber, sliced
Sweet onion, sliced into small rings
salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, oil, honey and coriander.  In a salad bowl toss together desired amount of arugula and spinach.  Top with cucumber slices and onion rings.  Drizzle with vinaigrette and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper if desired.  Toss lightly and serve.

27 comments:

  1. I had one of "those weeks" last week as well...maybe the planets were misaligned or something ;)! Love this salad..so refreshing and healthy!! I'm so excited about the bake sale...finally picked my cookie. I may just have to bid on your limoncello!!

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  2. uh oh! sorry about the rough week! hope your puppies feel better soon & your week picks up!

    that salad looks so fresh & tasty! :)

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  3. it s good , healthy , tasty and good for diet days :)

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  4. This looks likes a great healthy salad..

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  5. Oh Kim, I hope you had fun cooking tonight. I LOVE ARUGULA :-) I love calling it "rocket" because it sounds so much cooler, haha. Blame this on Jamie Oliver; he's quite influential, haha. But yes, arugula is one of my favorite greens to eat. It's so complex in itself that I find it works best in simple applications. I hope your week will be a good one!

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  6. Hi,

    In my salads there is always arugula and cucumber...along with several other veges....So i loved this one!

    Kisses,
    Rita

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  7. Sounds like a crazy week indeed! Hope the poor pups are feeling better and that the antibiotics are doing the job.

    Lovely simple salad - full of flavour and so healthy.

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  8. Kim,
    You've been Wonderwoman again and hope that this week is a bit less crazy for you. What did our grandparents do without washing machines?! Love the look of your spicy and cool salad. That's enough to put the zest back in you! Have a good week.

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  9. A light and delicious spring salad! I love it.

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  10. This looks so light and refreshing! I also love the salad dressing (red wine vinegar + oil + honey = heaven.

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  11. That looks so good! So fresh!!

    The show went great Kim!! Everything went smoothly and I am hoping that the photographer will submit some photos for the company to see sometime very soon!! :-)

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  12. Hi Kim,
    Great looking salad. I love the Arugula-cucumber combo. Glad that you're back in the kitchen.

    Thank you so much for the shout out! I appreciate it so much. Together we can make the bake sale success! We can use a few more bakers, so click on Kim's link.

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  13. I'm sending some happy, fluffy puppy vibes your way to hope your shortos (as we call them in our house) get to be feeling better soon. Glad you finally caught a break to unwind in the kitchen. This salad looks very tasty :)

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  14. Oh, Kim, what a miserable week, I am so sorry. I hope things calm down soon and you can get back to baking. In the meantime, the salad looks like a wonderful, healthy dish to keep up your strength.

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  15. Hoping this week settles down for you Kim! Great salad, I love those Persian cucumbers!

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  16. Whew what a week but I'm hoping this week will be lighter. This salad speaks to me... arugula is something I acquired to love a few years ago... and i love the refreshing crunch that the cucumber adds.
    Thank you for visitng my blog. I look forward to our future exchanges.
    Cheers!
    Malou

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  17. What a simple, lovely spring time salad...I'd love this! Hope your pups are on the mend~~~

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  18. This salad sounds so refreshing, I baked and ate way too much this last weekend, and now I'm prepping for Easter. I'm going to work some salads in the week. I might have to bid on your offering. If I lived closer, I'd drive your Dad in exchange for some of his citrus. Hope you are having a good one.
    -Gina-

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  19. Must be something in the air, we had one of those weeks, too! But, more importantly, this is a fantastic salad, and so simple. Love the peppery arugula with the cool cucumber, superb!

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  20. Funny, I had one of "those" weeks as well! Ugh.. I love how you explained cooking as "playing with food." Perfect!! :) The salad looks wonderful and fresh. Great photos. Thanks for sharing!

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  21. This salad screams spring! I love it!

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  22. love cucumbers. this looks great!!

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  23. Arugula (or rocket, as it is known as in Australia)is my absolute favorite salad item. Your salad is definitely ending up on my menu when I get back. I hope that everything settles down for you and life gets back to a more normal pace.

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  24. What a crazy week! I wish I could just come do a load of laundry for you! A lovely post...and tempting pics!

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  25. This looks great for those busy days! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

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  26. You had me at arugula - LOVE! What a beautifully fresh salad for spring. Thank you for visiting my site - yours is beautiful. Hope your week has improved!

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