Arugula & Goat Cheese Salad

Summer as a kid was a magical time. Those three months slipped away much too quickly but were always filled with plenty of running through sprinklers, laying around in the sun, drinking water straight from the hose, helping my Dad pick snap peas and raspberries from our garden, and most importantly sleeping in until noon. Since entering the world of college I have spent almost every summer taking classes. Sadly this summer is no different. There has been no sleeping in, no running through sprinklers (maybe on accident a few times), and only a little bit of gardening. I miss being a kid, but I am also happy I am kind of "grown-up" now because I get to make and enjoy dishes like these that I would have never touched as a kid. Can you imagine an eight year old asking for goat cheese on top of a big plate of veggies? I think not.

Tangy goat cheese and crunchy walnuts resting on top of a big bed of peppery arugula and sweet baby spinach is pure perfection when it comes to salads for me so I love ordering variations of this in restaurants. Unfortunately, they always seem to come on a tiny plate at a very high price. When I can easily buy a container of arugula and an entire package of goat cheese, create a gigantic salad instead of a tiny handful of one, and eat it in the comfort of my own home, making it myself seems like the only reasonable thing to do.

1/2 tbsp olive oil

juice of 1/2 medium lemon

1/8 tsp italian seasoning

pinch of garlic salt

1/4 tsp dried basil

1 1/2 cups arugula, washed and dried

1 1/2 cups spinach, washed and dried

3/4 cup grated carrots

1/4 cup toasted walnuts

2 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, italian seasoning, garlic salt, and basil together

Pour over carrots and toss to combine (this is my favorite way to getting the dressing evenly distributed throughout the salad)

Put arugula and spinach in a large bowl, pour dressed carrots on top and gently toss

Put salad on two plates and top each with 1/2 of the toasted walnuts and crumbled goat cheese

Servings 2

Per serving 225 calories