Blackberry, Almond, and Rocket Salad with Fresh Mozzarella

Did you know that arugula is called rocket in the UK?  Arugula is a pretty fun word, but rocket is even better.  This salad has rocket in it, along with all the other delicious things listed in the title.  After making blackberry cupcakes for this month's Get Your Chef On challenge, I wanted to do something else fabulous with the rest of my juicy blackberries.  I dreamed up this salad, and thought about it all day during class.

I was happy to find that it was even better than I had imagined!  The spicy arugula, sweet blackberries, creamy mozzarella, and toasty almonds are the perfect combination.  This is my new favorite summer salad.  Ben loved it, too!  When I served it he said it looked fancy (secret--any salad with blackberries looks fancy!), and then he asked for seconds.  Usually he's a one plate of salad kind of guy.

So, here's what I would recommend.  Go buy a lot of blackberries, make these cupcakes, then make this salad.  A light dinner with a decadent dessert is the perfect thing to have on a summer evening.

Ingredients (serves 2):

1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 cups arugula
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Pinch of sea salt
1 heaping cup blackberries
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, roughly cubed

Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often to make sure they don't burn, until golden brown (less than five minutes).  Set aside to cool.

Toss the arugula with the oil, vinegar, and salt and adjust seasonings to taste.

To serve, line plate with arugula.  Top with blackberries, fresh mozzarella, and toasted almonds.  Enjoy!

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Fresh Mozzarella & Strawberry Grilled Cheese

Have you had any strawberries lately?  The ones I've been getting are so good that I couldn't resist putting them in my grilled cheese!  You have to try this.

This sandwich is inspired by a salad I made last week that got eaten before it could be photographed.  It was a strawberry spin on caprese salad, without the tomatoes, because I just can't stomach raw tomatoes.  Anyway, the salad had strawberries and little balls of fresh mozzarella, a balsamic drizzle, and some julienned basil on top.  It was delicious.

Today when I was thinking about lunch, I wondered how the flavors of that salad would do smushed between two slices of butter-kissed bread.  Answer: they do really well.  This recipe is boyfriend-approved, which is great except for the fact that I had to share my sandwich with him.  I recommend you make and eat this in secret, because anyone who tries it is going to want more.

Ingredients (makes 1 sandwich):

2 slices of bread (I used Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain German Wheat)
3-4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
2-3 strawberries, sliced
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt
Butter for cooking

Layer half the cheese on one of the slices of bread.  Top with the strawberries and drizzle the balsamic vinegar on top.  Top that with the remaining cheese, a sprinkle of salt, and the other piece of bread.

Heat some butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Cook the sandwich, flipping halfway through, until the bread is golden and crisp and the cheese is melted to your liking.  Serve hot.