Arugula, Pomegranate & Radish Salad
Serves 4
You can’t beat the health benefits of arugula. At only five calories per cup, you get the same amount of calcium as spinach, and a decent amount of vitamin A and K along with folic acid, carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin. The Romans considered arugula an aphrodisiac. Believe it or not, this could be true. Patients with heart disease who have switched to a whole-food, plant-based diet which includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and leafy greens such as arugula report better sexual function.
Why is this you might ask? Well, leafy greens are generally high in nitrates, which are naturally occurring compounds that are converted by the body into nitric oxide. Nitric oxide dilates arteries in the body and helps reverse heart disease, high blood pressure, and other chronic diseases. Arugula contains the highest levels of nitrates among any leafy greens. With drugs like Viagra working to increase nitric oxide in the body and increase blood flow to the penis, you could say arugula is Mother Nature’s Viagra.
This salad pairs well with pan seared Sea Bass.
Ingredients:
6 cups arugula
1 cup pomegranate seeds
½ cup radish, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
How to make:
Take a large salad bowl and add the arugula, pomegranate seeds and radishes. Pour over the oil and vinegar. Toss lightly together to coat before serving.
Pan seared Sea Bass
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 4oz boneless, skin-on sea bass fillets
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
How to make:
Pat dry the sea bass fillets and make small slits in the skin about every inch. Be careful not to cut through the flesh of the fish. The cuts will help prevent the fish from curling when frying and also stop the skin from sticking to the pan. Turn over the fillets and season with salt and pepper.
Place a large heavy bottomed skillet over high heat on the stove. Wait until the pan is very hot then add the oil. Quickly follow with each portion of fish, skin side down. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, and carefully flip each portion of fish over. Tilt the skillet, and use a spoon to baste the skin of each portion of sea bass with the oil. Continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes or until the fish is cooked to your liking.
Remove each portion of sea bass from the pan and place onto a plate covered with a paper towel. Serve with the Arugula, Pomegranate & Radish salad.
3 responses to “Arugula, Pomegranate & Radish Salad”
This recipe sounds delish! But riddle me this. Why has it been so difficult to find fresh arugula at the local grocery store and when I do find it in stock, how can I prevent it from turning yellow so fast? Thank you for the answers in advance. Now I’m off to teach a class. Ciao Happy Eating. Can’t wait to try this entree out. Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge. 🙂
Hi Mary Beth – sounds strange arugula is pretty common to find in the local store? especially this time of year, stopping it from going green check sell by date and buy only the freshest you can obtain, then wash and spin dry as soon as you get home, place in a sealed container then eat within 2 to 3 days of buying – hope this helps – enjoy!!!!
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