A salad is not just a salad. According to the ANDI scale of nutrient density, arugula is 6 times more nutritious than the same salad made with iceberg lettuce. Vitamins and minerals in that potent, pretty little leaf protect your eyes, regulate your blood pressure and promote cardiovascular health, and may even help guard against cancer. 

In 2016, here are some ways our family put arugula at the middle of the plate. Idea #1 is the simplest, and also my very favorite. 

• dressed with balsamic vinegar, EVOO, mustard + honey

• on turkey sandwiches

• warm salad under poached eggs

• with toasted pine nuts, sweet onion + lemon

• with julienned salad turnips + sunflower seeds

We're addicted to the spicy character of arugula at our house, but if you'd like to tone it down a notch, try a creamy dressing like the one below. 

Arugula Salad with Yogurt-Dill Dressing

The Vegetables

4 ounces (or a big double-handful) arugula

1 slicing cucumber

1 cup gingered carrots

Dressing

1 bunch fresh dill, chopped

½ cup yogurt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Gingered carrots * *

2 pounds carrots

1 scant tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons ginger

Rinse and shake off the vegetables. Mix the dressing at the bottom of a salad bowl. Before slicing, drag the tines of a fork down the length of the cucumber to score it—this makes pretty stripes in your cucumber slices. We never peel vegetables from our farm or from another farm we trust. Toss all the vegetables together with the dressing and enjoy with a slice of crusty bread.

* * The gingered carrots called for here take a few days to make, but if you can’t wait that long, you can either buy them prepared from us starting in early July, or just use plain shredded carrots with a little ginger added.

Here's how to make gingered carrots at home: 

Shred the carrots and ginger in a food processor, then toss with salt and tightly pack them into a wide-mouth mason jar. A juicy orange brine will seep out of the carrots. Cover the jar with a lid and leave it out at room temperature for three to seven days. The carrots will become sour and flavorful — a perfect crunchy counterpoint for green salad.