Summer salad recipe: Arugula and Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts

The publishers of "Cooking Light Big Book of Salads" sent me an email awhile back with a very important point: salads are popular with people on diets, but really, with all the toppings out there, you need to ask yourself, is your salad healthy?  

Their advice is that you should start with 1 ½ cups of fresh mixed greens.  Add a tablespoon of your favorite vinaigrette.  Then pile on the good stuff. As an example, they sent along the following recipe, which sounded totally incredible and lucky me, I actually had everything in my pantry. 

Full admission: I used fresh greens from my garden instead of arugula, and added a handful of fresh nasturtium flowers for that pepper-bite.

Arugula and Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts

Cooking Light Big Book of Salads

 This salad combines the peppery bite of arugula with the sweetness of juicy pears and the earthy crunch of walnuts. If you can’t find Bosc pears, Anjou or Starkrimson are also good choices for salads. 

1 tablespoon minced shallots

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1⁄8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 cups baby arugula leaves

2 Bosc pears, thinly sliced

1⁄4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add arugula and pears to bowl; toss to coat.

2. Arrange about 11/2 cups salad on each of 4 plates; sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon walnuts. Yield: 4 servings.

CALORIES 168; FAT 12.5g (sat 1.5g, mono 5.7g, poly 4.6g); PROTEIN 2.5g; CARB 15.1g; FIBER 3g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 0.7mg; SODIUM 164mg; CALC 106mg

Blueberry Jicama Fruit Salad

Enjoy the following recipe, courtesy of the folks at Driscoll's, which claims to grow the best berries in the world. Having eaten more than my fair share of Driscoll's strawberries and blueberries, I'm inclined to agree with their slogan. Prep time: 10 minutes Makes 6 servings 1 package (6 ounces) Driscoll's Blueberries 1 cup jicama cubes (1/4-inch) 1 cup seedless red watermelon cubes (1/4-inch) 1 cup seedless yellow watermelon cubes (1/4-inch) 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint Zest and juice of 1 lime Fleur de Sel or coarse salt Combine blueberries, jicama, melon, mint, lime zest and juice in a medium bowl. Stir gently to combine. Let stand 15 minutes for flavors to blend, or refrigerate until serving. Serve in martini or margarita glasses, and sprinkle lightly with salt if desired. Variation: Replace watermelon with red and green grapes cut in halves. Nutrition Per Serving: 43 calories, .22g total fat, .01g saturated fat, .77g protein, 10.98g carbohydrate, 0mg cholesterol, 2.05g fiber, 21mg sodium