Autumn Arugula House Salad with Fig Vinaigrette
This autumn arugula house salad is my signature fall salad when the temperatures start to drop. Peppery arugula with thinly sliced apples and dried cherries, all drizzled in a delicious fig vinaigrette and topped with crumbled goat cheese and spiced pecans. So crunchy, crisp and delicious!
Ingredients
spiced pecans
- ½ cup whole pecans
- 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- kosher salt and pepper
fig vinaigrette
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fig preserves
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced or pressed
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
salad
- 6 to 8 cups baby arugula and/or spring greens
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 honeycrisp apple thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup dried tart cherries or cranberries
- 2 to 3 ounces goat cheese crumbled
Instructions
- To make the pecans, heat the pecans in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the sugar, chili powder and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the sugar melts and is caramely, coating all of the pecans - about 6 to 8 minutes. Don’t take your eyes off of this as they can burn quickly! Transfer the pecans to a piece of parchment paper to let them cool. Break them into pieces if they are clumped - you can also chop them too.
- To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the vinegar, preserves, garlic, red pepper flakes and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. This can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for about a week!
- To assemble the salad, toss the greens with a big pinch of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Top with the thinly sliced apple, tart cherries, goat cheese and pecans. Drizzle all over with the dressing! Serve!
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