Sometimes you eat something, and you know you are doing your body a favor, but your tastebuds hate you for it. Well this salad is a better version of that. Its a packed with powerful good for you ingredients, but your mouth will actually enjoy eating it! 

Ingredients: 

2 cups arugula 

1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup pickled beets, chopped

1/4 cup smoked almonds, chopped

2 tablespoons red onion, diced 

1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions: 

Mix together all ingredients, eat, and be happy. 

Have you ever been to the fast casual restaurant Cubby's in Utah? It's seriously to die for. Fresh, healthy, good for you food with such great flavors. If you live near one, run there now. Seriously, what are you doing still reading this post? Go! 

I recently had Cubby's wild rice & kale salad. It's full of chicken, apples, and packed with savory flavors. I don't live within a days drive of a Cubby's, so figuring out how to make this salad on my own was a must. This salad isn't 100% up to the deliciousness they have created, but its darn near close. Make it today and your body and taste buds will thank you. 

Ingredients: 

Salad: 
1 head of kale, finely sliced into 1/8 of an inch strips
1 chicken breast, cooked, then diced
1 apple, diced
1/3 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1 cup wild rice, cooked
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 avocado, diced
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Dressing: 
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lavender honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
sprinkling of fresh ground pepper

Directions: 

Once your kale is chopped, toss it with the lemon juice to allow it to soften. Cook your rice and while the rice is still hot, mix it with the kale to soften it further. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Add in your other salad ingredients, dress to your taste level, and toss. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 



Enjoy!

I always find it interesting when other bloggers share which of all of their posts throughout the year were the most popular. It's funny to see what topics and recipes people are the most interested in. So I thought I would share ours with you! Without further adieu, here were the top 5 recipe posts from The Lavender Apple in 2015:

Cinnamon Rolls 

http://thepurpleapple-lavender.blogspot.com/2015/10/lavender-sweet-rolls-cinnamon-rolls.html

Mustard Leek Shrimp Over Cous Cous

http://thepurpleapple-lavender.blogspot.com/2015/11/mustard-leek-shrimp-over-cous-cous.html

Mixed Grill Skillet with Potatoes, Peppers, & Sausage 

http://thepurpleapple-lavender.blogspot.com/2015/10/mixed-grill-skillet-with-sausage.html

Crispy Goat Cheese Salad with Shrimp and Mustard Red Potatoes 

http://thepurpleapple-lavender.blogspot.com/2015/09/crispy-goat-cheese-salad-with-shrimp.html

Oven Baked Barbecue Chicken 

http://thepurpleapple-lavender.blogspot.com/2015/07/oven-baked-barbecue-chicken-breasts.html

If you didn't get a chance to try any of these recipes last year, what are you waiting for? They are all delicious, and usually pretty easy to execute as well! Here's to hoping 2016 is just as tasty. 

A few months back we posted a delicious roasted beet salad on this blog. It is delicious with a capital D. As much as I crave that salad, I don't get to have it that often because it involves a lot of planning and prep. Roasting beets is not a quick 5 minute endeavor. But my tummy was telling me that I needed to figure out a way to get beets into my salads more frequently, and of course, my husbands mistress (Costco) came through for us. Costco sells the most delicious pickeled beets. They are roasted and marinated in the most delicious brine. They taste practically as good as home grown roasted beets, but all you have to do for these babies is open a jar. That is my kind of treat. Today we are blessing your bellies with a recipe for a beet salad with pistachios and goat cheese, and all sorts of wonderful and easy toppings.  

Ingredients:  

16 ounces pickled beets, chopped

8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

6 cups spinach, washed

1 cup pistachios, shelled

1/2 cup pickled beet juice

3 tablespoons olive oil 

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp lavender salt

1 tsp pepper

Mix the last 5 ingredients together as your dressing, then just toss everything else together on a plate. The beet juice will dye your goat cheese the most beautiful and fun pink color. The beets are beautiful and fun enough to be an anomaly for your kids and they actually might eat them! 

This salad has a wonderful earthiness and heartiness due to the beets. Its got a pack of protein and creaminess from the nuts and cheese, and a very mild get in my belly dressing to compliment it. This easy salad will become a quick go-to when you don't feel like spending any longer than 3 seconds making your lunch. Enjoy!