Bright Apricot, Earthy Beet and Bold Blue Cheese, come together to make this a decadent salad. I wish I could make this Vegan, but I have yet to find a crumbled Blue Cheese that meets my needs, in my area. When I visited my sister, she introduced me to Follow Your Heart Blue Cheese Crumbles, and they are amazing and work as a perfect substitute for the real deal. I’ve paired these brilliant ingredients with nutty arugula and sweet mint, to further this food experience. I cannot remember a time that I’ve had anything like this, it’s different and it’s adventerous.

There is nothing from my childhood, teen years, 20’s or even my early 30’s that would have lead me to believe, that I would be sitting here, less than 2 months from my 40th Birthday, writing a food blog and sharing my recipes with the world. It’s bittersweet.

Let’s get on with this recipe.

Apricot, Beet and Blue Cheese Salad (serves 4, as a side)

• 4 cups Arugula, packed
• 1 bunch of Mint, leaves removed and chiffonade (long ribbons)
• 6 oz Dried Apricots, roughly chopped
  • or 3/4 lb Fresh Apricots, washed, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1/4 extra large Red Onion, thinly sliced
• 3 small Stalks of Celery, halved and sliced
• 1/4 cup mild Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola
  • or Follow Your Heart Blue Cheese Crumbles, to make this recipe Vegan and Dairy-free
• 1 lb Roasted Beets, only season with Salt and Pepper, otherwise, follow recipe instruction
• The Sauce 3 recipe

Let’s get this decadent salad moving!

1. Start by preheating your oven to 400 F, and then prepare your Beets for roasting. Follow this recipe for full instructions, but only season the beets with salt and pepper.
2. While the Beets are in the oven, measure out your Arugula and put it into a large salad serving bowl.
3. Once the Arugula is in the bowl, prepare the Red Onion, Celery, and Apricots and add all to the bowl with the Arugula. Toss, to incorporate the Celery, Onion and Apricots through the Arugula.
4. Add half of the Blue Cheese, again toss, to incorporate the Blue Cheese throughout the salad. Add remining Blue Cheese to the top of the salad. Set aside, in the fridge, until the Beets are done roasting.
5. Now make The Sauce 3 recipe and set aside, until the Beets are done roasting.
6. Once the beets are roasted, carefully add them to the Arugula salad, add dressing, toss to combine.
7. Divide into 4 bowls and serve with your favorite meal.

Enjoy!