Intro to Cooking: Blueberry Salad

Yesterday, it was almost 80 degrees in my college town. Today, it’s supposed to be in the mid-70s. This is my favorite kind of weather: not too hot, but warm enough to flounce around in a sundress. The unfortunate thing about this weather, though, is that it makes me want to eat summer foods. You know what I’m talking about: watermelon, buckets of frozen yogurt, fresh strawberry pie, raspberry anything…

By Michelle

These foods aren’t all in season yet (and I really should stay away from the fro yo), but some berries are, like blueberries. Blueberries are not only absolutely delicious, but they are extremely good for you. Nutritionists suggest that blueberries contain high levels of antioxidants, which may help treat and prevent some illnesses. Blueberries are also high in Vitamins C and E and manganese, as well as dietary fiber.

That’s a lot of good stuff, which means we should all probably be eating more of these tasty little orbs. And I’m going to make sure we do just that.

This week’s recipe is super easy, incredibly healthy and bursting with bright flavors. It’s great for a picnic lunch or even a mid-afternoon I’m-hungry-and-need-something-to-hold-me-over-until-dinner snack. As usual, don’t feel restricted by the ingredients I picked. The great thing about salad is that it’s easy to mix and match and change flavors. So add whatever you like! I like to use arugula in this salad because the spicy, almost bitter taste is great with sweeter fruits and dressings. With all salads, I need something crunchy on top – I like sunflower seeds with this salad, but crunchy chow mein noodles would also be really good!

Blueberry Salad

You will need…

2-3 cups of Arugula
1-2 tablespoons of raspberry vinaigrette
½-1 cup of blueberries
1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds
1/4-1/2 cup of mandarin orange slices (jarred is fine!)