Fig + Blue Cheese + Mixed Greens + Toasted Pepitas = Perfect

I was always one of those girls who was nerdily good at math, but never *really* enjoyed it. I mean, geometry was - tearfully - the one 'B' I got in high school (outside of phys-ed of course), and I tell myself it's 'cause I just didn't care. (Because I'll have you know I went on to university and got an A in calculus. Ahem.)

Anyway, math. I think it's all the rules I don't like ... the this + this = that, and don't you even think about trying to add in the other. I like rules, as a foundation, but I also like to have the freedom to play, to adapt, to try new things.

And when it comes to cooking, I think that - for example - as long as you know that figs and blue cheese taste pretty damn special together, you've got a whole lot of flexibility up your sleeve. For example, Running with Tweezers recently posted a beautiful fig and blue cheese flatbread recipe (don't even get me started about the fig and balsamic ice cream ... ). But seriously, you could make fig + blue cheese pizzas, pastas, canapes, cracker toppings, dips, or

salad. 

So, ha. Fig + blue cheese = Pretty good, in whatever format you choose. But fig + blue cheese + mixed greens + toasted pepitas + vinaigrette = perfect. 

That's my kind of math.

 

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Mixed Green Salad with Figs, Blue Cheese 

& Toasted Pepitas

serves 2-4

The time
5 min

The ingredients
~100 g mixed greens*
~50 g sprouts* (any but alfalfa**)
4-5 fresh figs, sliced
1/2 cup dry-toasted pepitas
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (I used a smoked blue - yum)

Simple vinaigrette
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs white wine vinegar
a pinch of lemon zest (optional)
2 pinches sea salt

*Feel free to add more or less greens and sprouts as you wish. Remember, this is your salad. Make it yours.

**I used a mix of radish and sunflower sprouts. I just say not to use alfalfa because I find their flavour very overpowering.

***As always, try to use organic ingredients when you can.

The process
1. Mix everything together and eat. I tend to dress the greens before adding the pepitas, because it seems to help them stick better.

The cost
I estimate my organic salad cost me less than $5, and can feed 2 as a main or 3-4 as a side.

So what's your favourite kind of math?
PS. Nerds are cool.
Amanda xx