Warmed Arugula Salad

Anybody else a fan of spinach salad with a warm dressing? Mmmm, one of my favorites. But since I am cutting my spinach intake waaaay down, as I have talked about elsewhere on this blog, and I like to have recipes my low oxalate friends can eat, I wanted to work on an alternative recipe which would also be sugar free. And so this recipe was born! I have been making it for lunch when I have time. A bit of work, but really worth it! If you are newly sugar free, this might not taste as sweet as the "real thing", but if you are used to appreciating the natural sweetness of things, this will knock your socks off. Or at least it did for me. :) The following is what I do for one main dish serving.

Warmed Arugula Salad

Whatcha Need

3 slices bacon
1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
2 TB balsamic vinegar
1 ts tarragon
1/2 ts dijon mustard
3 generous handfuls of arugula, or however much you feel like eating - it will diminish a good amount even from just wilting
1 hard boiled egg, sliced
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 avocado for garnish (optional)

Whatcha Do

In a deep skillet, fry up the bacon. Give it a good shake when you pull it out to leave as much grease as possible, then lay it on paper towels to cool. Add the onion and saute it until very well cooked. Carmelize it if you have the time - this is part of where your sweet flavor will come from. Crumble your bacon while the onions cook. At this point I usually turn the heat off for about 5 minutes, because if you add the vinegar now, it really sizzles and partly evaporates. Grind your tarragon a bit if you have a mortar and pestle, or rub it between your fingers later as you add it to the pan. This will help it release more flavor. After your oil and onions have cooled a bit, stir in the vinegar, tarragon and mustard. Turn the heat back on low, and throw in your arugula. Stir it around until it is coated with the dressing and beginning to wilt. I like mine fairly wilty because it helps mellow out the characteristic arugula flavor so it is more like spinach, but you don't want to actually cook it! Put it on a plate, and then top with fresh pepper, hardboiled eggs and crumbled bacon. Sometimes I add sliced avocado too! Yum!