10-Minute Quick-to-Fix Vegan Dinner. The Healthy Librarian's Arugula Pear "Steak" Salad with Dried Cranberries and Walnuts

Super Fast Arugula Pear "Steak" Salad with Walnuts and Cranberries

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Back when I was eating meat, a favorite quick-to-fix dinner was sliced grilled flank steak with roasted vegetables over mesclun greens--with a little sprinkle of chopped nuts, and maybe some goat cheese.  But that was almost 2 years ago.

Last Saturday night Joyce and Ron whipped up an "Arugula and Pear Salad with Maple Vinaigrette" in about 10 minutes.  It was fabulous, and I became an instant arugula fan. 

On Sunday I stopped at Trader Joe's and picked up 2 bags of organic arugula--where they had purchased theirs.  I brought an arugula salad to work on Monday, and made this one for dinner on Tuesday night.

Good-bye mesclun greens.  Hello arugula.  I always thought of it as a seasonal snooty fancy shmancy salad green.  But there it was at Trader Joe's, reasonably priced, organic, and looking beautiful. 

Now that I know it's in that super-healthy family of chicory greens it's got even more credibility.  Don't forget about the 3-new-to-me super foods I wrote about last week:  black raspberries, broccoli sprouts, & chicory-family greens!  Click here if you want a refresher.

Why Does Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., D.N.S, F.A.C.N. Have Arugula on Her Top Ten List of Favorite Foods?

• It's loaded with minerals and antioxidants
• It's a delicious cruciferous vegetable that helps to protect us against toxins like xenohormones--the hormone disruptors in pesticides, plastics, and pollution.
• It protects against cancer because its loaded with the anticarcinogenic indole-3-carbinol. (click here for: Sarkar, FH, Li, Y. "Harnessing the fruits of nature for the development of multi-targeted cancer therapeutics"  Cancer Treatment Reviews, 2009 Nov;35(7):597-607. Epub 2009 Aug 5---just one of many articles on the benefits of the indole-3-carbinols.

Why Does Jonny Bowden Ph.D., C.N.S. Have Arugula on His List of the 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth?

• For only 5 calories a cup you get a generous amount of eye-healthy carotenoids, like lutein and zeaxanthin, plus folate, and vitamin A.
• It's also loaded with calcium and Vitamin K--essential for building strong bones--and 1 cup of arugula has 62 mcg of vitamin K.  The recommended daily intake is: 90 mcg for women and 120 mcg for men.
• What's the calcium/vitamin K connection?  Vitamin K helps the body transport calcium and metabolize it into our bones.  Several studies (including the very large Nurses' Health Study) have found that high intake of Vitamin K (at least 110 mcg a day) boosts bone mineral density in postmenopausal women and reduces hip fractures by 30%.  Click here and here to read more.
• It has glucosinolates--the same cancer-fighter as found in broccoli sprouts--that neutralizes cancer cells, and also inhibits cancer cell growth.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman ranks arugula 11th on his ANDI Scale (aggregate nutrient density index)--right under greens like kale, watercress, Swiss Chard, and broccoli sprouts.

 

Super Fast Arugula Pear "Steak" Salad with Walnuts and Cranberries

You'll have this on the the table in less than 10 minutes!

Serving size: 1 salad 

Ingredients:

2 cups of arugula

1/3 thinly sliced pear

1 TBS. chopped walnuts or pecans

1 TBS. dried cranberries

9 slices of either Trader Joe's Beef-Less Strips (aka Gardein)  If you don't have a Trader Joe's nearby,  use Morningstar Farms "Beef" Meal-Starters found in your grocer's freezer.  Note: *TJ's Beef-Less Strips come in 3 serving packages.

A couple of shakes of Durkee Grill Creations Kansas City Style Steak Seasoning

I drizzled this on as salad dressing:

1 tsp. Olive Tap Blood Orange Fusion Olive Oil  click here 

2 tsp. Olive Tap Tangerine Balsamic Vinegar  click here

Directions:

Quickly brown 1 Package of Trader Joe's Beef-Less Strips in a frying pan.  Sprinkle strips with the Grill Creations Steak Seasoning.  One package of strips makes 3 servings. 

Rinse arugula.  Pile a dinner plate with the greens.  Top with the olive oil and flavored vinegar--or the dressing of your choice--see Joyce & Ron's Maple Vinaigrette below.

Top with the sliced pears.  Sprinkle on the chopped nuts & cranberries, and enjoy.

Save the left-over strips--one package contains enough for 3 salads.  Note:  Tal Ronnen uses these strips for a "Steak Sandwich" served on a ciabatta or focaccia square, layered with watercress, red pepper, sliced red onion, and horseradish mayo.

NOTE: Want to cut calories & fat?  1 TBS. of walnuts=4.8 g of fat/52 calories; 1 tsp. olive oil=4.6 g of fat/40 calories.   Cut 92 calories & 9.4 gr of fat when you leave them out!

Nutrition Facts Healthy Librarian's Arugula, Pear, "Steak" Salad wt Cranberries & Walnuts
Serving Size: 1 recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories	345
Total Fat	11.5g
Saturated Fat	1.2g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	346mg
Carbohydrate	37.9g
Dietary Fiber	5.4g
Sugars	26.5g
Protein	23.3g
Vitamin A 42% Vitamin C 26% Calcium    20% Iron 38%

What's in Trader Joe's Beef-Less Strips?

These are vegan, but, alas, not gluten free.  I don't like to use faux meats very often--but occasionally--why not?

Ingredients: water, vital wheat gluten, isolated soy protein, natural flavors, barley malt, expeller pressed canola oil, garlic powder, yeast extract, onion powder, organic evaporated cane juice, red bell pepper flakes, sea salt, citric acid, spices, pea protein, carrot fiber, organic beet root fiber, sunflower oil.

Nutritional info for 9 strips.  Calories: 120; Total Fat 2g;  Sat Fat & Trans Fat 0g; Cholesterol 0g; Sodium 310 mg; Total Carbs 5 g; Fiber 1g; Sugars 1g; Protein 20g.

Joyce & Ron's Arugula and Pear Salad with Maple Vinaigrette  (from Real Simple Magazine)

Serves 4

Hands-on Time: 20 minutes.  (they made the dressing ahead of time, and it took 10 minutes to assemble)
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
    •    1 tablespoon maple syrup
    •    1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    •    1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
    •    1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    •    1/8 teaspoon black pepper
    •    2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil  (consider lowering this amount to 4 tsp.)
    •    8 cups arugula leaves
    •    1  pear, unpeeled, thinly sliced
    •    1/2 cup (3 ounces) blue cheese, crumbled  (optional--leave out for the vegan version)

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Whisking constantly, slowly add the oil; set aside.
2. Arrange the arugula on individual plates and top with the pear and cheese. Drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Tip

For a warm salad, heat the vinaigrette in a small saucepan over medium heat for 1 minute, and substitute spinach for the arugula.

Nutritional Information
Calcium 185.47mg; Calories 183.58; Calories From Fat 65%; Carbohydrate 11.91g; Cholesterol 15.95mg; Fat 13.3g; Fiber 1.96g; Iron 0.88mg; Protein 5.83mg; Sat Sat Fat 4.92g; Sodium 410.06mg

NOTE: The higher fat and sat fat in this recipe is from the blue cheese and olive oil.

*Source of information about Shari Lieberman & Jonny Bowden:  The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth.  by Jonny Bowden.  Gloucester, MA:  Fair Winds Press, 2007.

Comments

[Jacqueline]

Hi, from my research I have come to the conclusion that even once in a while is too much for me to use 'texturized vegetable protein". I find many recipes that look great such as the pear "steak" salad here and the soup you have posted before that calls for "meatless vegan meatballs" but we avoid the overly and poorly processed isolated soy protein. I have the same issue with some of the recipes in Esselstyn's E2Diet book which call for "meat crumbles". I am always looking for a good substitute for the meat and the "meat"! Sometimes portobello mushrooms work. For some recipes tempeh, seitan or firm tofu just won't work (such as the Italian Wedding soup) I would appreciate your and anybody else's ideas. Thanks!

[The Healthy Librarian]

Jacqueline,

Point well taken. I too mostly avoid the isolated soy protein (but I'm not so strict)--and I agree that sometimes seitan, extra firm tofu, and tempeh work, but sometimes they don't quite give me the taste and speed I'm after when I want a super-quick meal--that resembles a former favorite food.

Ellen Allard of "I am Gluten-free" has some great fakes withoutthe isolated soy protein that really work: a tuna fish salad made from garbanzo beans, and a "meat loaf" that's all veggie, and AMAZING. Both, however, take some prep time, especially the meat loaf. If you make it--double the recipe & freeze one.

Tuna fish: http://iamglutenfree.blogspot.com/2009/03/chickpea-tastes-like-tuna-salad.html

Meat Loaf: http://iamglutenfree.blogspot.com/2009/05/veggie-loaf-revisited.html