A Goat Cheese, Spinach & Arugula Fig Salad with a simple balsamic fig dressing. Perfect as a side salad, dish-to-pass, or make it a meal by adding your favorite toppings and protein.

FIG FRIDAY.

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We’re making it a thing… At least this week we are. No promises for next.

Before we start talking about the food… can we just talk about Target for a hot minute or two? K, thanks.
So we got back from up north early in the day on Labor Day Monday so I took the time to clean up my office, put some clothes in a goodwill box, catch up on some laundry, aannnnddddd do a much needed #targetrun. Ya know what I’m sayin’?

Target does this thing to me where if I haven’t gone in a couple weeks, I need to go and get my Target fix. I don’t need to be going for anything in particular, I just want to go and browse. Check some things out, see what’s new.

Being Labor Day I also had the thought “Well maybe this is my chance to get some good deals and freshen up my wardrobe a bit…” Spoiler alert: it happened. All women’s clothing was 25% off. EVEN THE CLEARANCE.

Okay, so I haven’t been shopping for clothes in… I don’t even know how long, but I’m not sure what is going on with the trends these days, guys. I legit saw a striped bodysuit and dress I probably had when I was seven years old.

I’m not sure if I can do it…

Oh… oh dear. Look what I just came across >> The 22 Most Embarrassing Pages Of The 1990 J.C. Penney Christmas Catalog

Ohhh my word! Number 22, anyone? I had so many iron-on puffy paint sweatshirts and my mom was totally rocking those decked out bandanas.

Sorry for the derailment. Anyways, yeah so how do you feel about the style going on at the moment?

Even though my degree is in fashion, I honestly can say even when I was in school and studying trends, I never thought that full out 90s attire was going to make a comeback. But then again I guess my parents were likely saying the same thing with the 80s, huh? Everything old is new again, always.

So this fig salad, eh?

Yes, we are jumping from topic to topic here. This year was probably the first time I’ve had a fig in my entire life. Is that strange? Well, other than in the form of a fig newton…  Anyways, I kept seeing them on the ‘gram and naturally had to pick them up the first time I saw them at Whole Foods. Then Pal went ahead and told me to look up “fig and wasps”… Which didn’t really ruin them for me at all. It’s actually just pretty interesting. #science ya’ll. For those of you grossed out now… eeee sorry.

When I realized how amazing figs were, the next thing to do was create a recipe with them for you! I asked over on Instagram in August what kinds of recipes you would like to see more of. There were lots of requests for easy lunches, salads and simple dressings… So here we are!

So here we have a super simple goat cheese and fig salad that would be great to throw together for a party, use as a side dish or add more toppings and protein for a meal. The dressing is a balsamic fig dressing that can be made in a small blender or food processor. It’s paleo-friendly too!

For the salad

figs
goat cheese
spinach & arugula
extra toppings, as you wish

For the dressing

figs
balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
pure maple syrup
stoneground mustard
minced garlic
salt & pepper

I use my NutriBullet* for pretty much all of my homemade sauces and dressings and it couldn’t be easier. You just throw everything into a blender and you have yourself a quick, easy, healthy homemade salad dressing. It will last about a week or so in the fridge!

And you can make this salad a meal by adding your favorite protein. 🙂

Seasoned stir-fried tempeh is shown here. But a balsamic grilled chicken or even a roasted pork loin would be a great addition!

Goat Cheese Spinach Arugula Fig Salad

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Preparation 5 mins

Total Time 0:05

Serves 4-6     adjust servings

Ingredients

• 8 cups spinach & arugula mix
• 8-12 figs, stems removed, sliced or chopped
• 4oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled

balsamic fig dressing

• 4 figs, stems removed and halved
• 1/4 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• 2.5 TBS balsamic vinegar
• 1.5 TBS pure maple syrup (may leave out if you really like vinegar)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (optional but makes for unique flavor)
• 1 tsp stone ground mustard
• salt & pepper to taste
• 3-4TBS water to thin
• additional topping ideas: choice of protein, avocado, nuts, seeds, peaches, etc.

Instructions

1. In a large bowl add spinach & arugula mix, sliced figs and crumbled goat cheese.
2. In a small food processor or blender add figs, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, stone ground mustard, and couple dashes of salt & pepper if you wish. Start with about 3 tablespoons of water and blend until smooth. If you'd like a thinner dressing, add another tablespoon or so of water and blend again.
3. Toss salad with dressing to coat, or allow guests to serve themselves.

by AdThrive

Recipe Notes

-This fig salad would make a great lunch option with additional toppings and your favorite protein.
-Store leftover dressing in fridge up to 1 week. Also makes a great chicken marinade for the grill!

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Making this recipe? I would love to see it!

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Let’s chat

• Thoughts on today’s fashion?
• Have you heard about the fig and the wasp?

SOME OF THE PRODUCTS I USED IN TODAY’S RECIPE

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