Happy Mothersday to all my friends who have human kids and/or furry kids! Here my furry kid Jack who is checking out the quality of our grass…

Arugula Salad was not on my “list” of recipes I thought I would ever post but then I walked into the greenhouse and the daikon, red radish and Arugula were taking over the planter box, so I thought its time to harvest some of those goodies and make myself a salad.

I am not a big salad fan, I never really know how to make a good dressing and honestly even the best salad in my mind doesn’t taste as good as the worst pasta BUT now that I am on my “Germany diet” (in anticipation of all the German delicatessen I will be eating)  it was time to create a “lighter fare” with my own organic greenhouse bounty and to my surprise I came up with a really great and unusual salad combo and adapted Emeril Lagasse’s dressing. So here we go:

Ingredients for the Salad:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (I used an aged balsamic which had a thicker consistency and tasted somewhat sweet – delicious, if your balsamic is of similar kind omit the sugar below, if you use regular balsamic – which if perfectly fine – add the teaspoon sugar I list below)
• juice of 1/2 a lemon – optional (I like my dressing a little bit more on the acidy side)
• 1 teaspoon mustard (I like the spicy Chinese one but Dijon will do)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 clove garlic (pressed through a garlic press)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or grape seed oil
• 12 ounces fresh arugula, washed and dried
• 5-6 radishes (sliced)
• 1 small daikon (white radish) sliced
• 2 ounces shaved Parmesan
• 2 ounces sliced almonds (I used the ones that you get in the veggie/salad department, they are sliced, roasted and a little bit sweet)

Directions:

1. In a small stainless steel or glass bowl, whisk together the vinegar, optional lemon juice, mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic until the sugar and salt are dissolved. While continuing to whisk, add the olive oil in a thin, steady stream until emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
2. Place the arugula and radish/daikon in a large salad bowl and toss with some of the vinaigrette. Divide the salad among serving plates and garnish with shaved Parmesan, and almonds. Serve immediately.

Note: This recipe makes approximately 3/4 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette. Any remaining vinaigrette will keep for up to 2 weeks stored in a non-reactive container in the refrigerator. I use Mason jars for my left over vinaigrette and also put any left over radishes into a mason jar and use them the next couple days. Also if you are not a big radish fan just replace the radish with small tomatoes.

Guten Appetit!