Arugula Sweet Goat Cheese Salad
With a creamy vinaigrette dressing, this Sweetened Goat Cheese Arugula Salad adds dried cranberries and pecans for maximum flavor.
Between the Black Lives Matter protests and the Covid fallout, it’s hard to believe that life will ever be normal again. While I am hopeful for long term positive change (better accountability, real action plans, improved health care?), I know that having short term positive moments is important too.
So I try to look around for little things I can do… from chipping in on someone’s fundraiser to supporting a local business. Which is really how this salad came about. 
When Covid first struck, one of the early small business victims was cheese producers. Especially those making fresh varieties, like fresh goat cheese/chevre. Wisconsin has many amazing small producers so one of my first thoughts was to look into getting some shipped to me.
This way I could help someone else AND bring some joy into my life. That would be a win!
I settled on shopping online at LaClare Farms (not a sponsored post) since I’ve been a long-time farmer’s market buyer. When I discovered their shipping was reasonable I knew this could be a fine long distance relationship.
I ended up with a collection of amazing small chevre logs in a variety of flavors, sweet and savory. Plus their award-winning Cave-aged Chandoka, feta (Cheese Burek? Greek Salad?), Monterey Jack and more. Yum! 
The next question was what to do with this new bonanza. There had to be something more than cheese boards and bagels…
One of my first innovations was this salad, which is a variation on one I’ve done in the past. Studded with pecans, dried cranberries and sweet goat cheese, it was off to a great start. But when I whisked the sweetened fresh chevre into the dressing with a little honey, talk about flavor!
We ate it made with cranberry, blueberry and maple bourbon flavors. Not a bad option among them.
Yes, kind of like the proverbial lemonade.
Arugula Sweet Goat Cheese Salad
With a creamy vinaigrette dressing, this Sweetened Goat Cheese Arugula Salad adds cranberries and pecans for maximum flavor.
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 T balsamic vinegar
- 0-1 T honey (based on taste, sweetness of goat cheese)
- 1 t sweetened goat cheese
- 1/4 t oregano, dried minced onion
- Salt to taste
Salad:
- 6 cups arugula
- ¼ c dried cranberries
- 2 ounces sweetened goat cheese, less 1 teaspoon (see above)
- ¼ cup whole pecans
Instructions
Combine dressing ingredients and whisk together. Taste to adjust honey and salt.
Divide arugula between four bowls. Top with pecans and dried cranberries. Dot with goat cheese. Drizzle with the dressing and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 198Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 226mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 2gSugar: 10gProtein: 5g
Nutrition data accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.
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That’s so amazing you can support local farmers and producers this way. I’m not a fan of goats cheese sadly. Stay well!
Sadly in this particular salad, feta wouldn’t work as a sub. Stay well too–I noticed numbers rising in South Africa as well…
What a beautiful and refreshing salad. Lucky for me, my goat cheese artisan is selling regularly at the market. Don’t know if I have dried cranberries, but I am sure I have some fruit to use in this.
Yes, unlike the goat cheese, the specific dried fruit–or even something fresh–would be an easy sub. Our farmer’s markets are reopening so that is exciting!
What a fantastic combination of flavors! This is a simple salad that packs a punch! What a tumultuous year so far to say the least. We need change for the better indeed.
Thanks Thao.