True story. I have never used blackberries in a salad before. I love a Strawberry Salad (well, the Prince loves a Strawberry Salad so we make it often) but this Blackberry Salad was special. She was beautiful and luscious and an ideal, bountiful accompaniment for my favorite Foolproof Ribs. Also, salads like this are BEYOND easy to throw together. The hardest part is mixing up the homemade Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette which isn’t actually hard at all and you could totally just ignore me and use any store-bought dressing of your choice and call it a day.
SHOPPING LIST: 2 box arugula, 1 1/2 cups blackberries, feta cheese, macadamia nuts, balsamic vinegar (preferably aged), stone ground mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, black pepper
Most times I toss a salad in the bowl before serving, but for this particular salad, I chose to serve it on FLAT, LONG serving dish so that entirety of the arugula base was covered in all the goodies and then I made sure to go heavy on the dressing. (ALSO – serving extra dressing on the side is always a good idea).
So, using a FLAT, LONG serving dish, create a thin bed of your arugula. Obviously, wash and dry your blackberries and then scatter them around the dish. Continue this same method with your macadamia nuts (WHAT AN UNDERUTILIZED NUT!!!!!!!) and your crumbled feta. I have to admit here – I actually used a Black Pepper Crumbled Feta that I found at Whole Foods, which, for a pepper enthusiast like myself, was an awesome win! OR, if you can find a creamy Bulgarian Sheep’s Feta that you crumble yourself that’s always an awesome choice as well.
For the dressing, mix together 2 heaping tB. stone ground mustard, 1 tB. balsamic vinegar, 2 tB. apple cider vinegar, 1 tB. honey, 1 tB. olive oil, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. You are going to mix your dressing together and drizzle it all over your salad. I used the entirety of the dressing on my salad so if you want to follow my tip to serve extra dressing on the side than just double the recipe! Last note – since we aren’t tossing the greens in the dressing, I like to finish a salad like this with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Yes, the dressing is seasoned, but this little extra splash of flavor will ensure that each bite is dressed and delicious.
The Kitchen Koach 