Arugula Pancetta Salad

This is an easy weekday salad.  It's not often that I put meat in a salad, but I tried it here and it was pretty good.  Arugula can be too peppery for some, if so I recommend substituting spinach for some or all of the greens.  And if you fail to plan ahead and don't have cherry tomatoes on hand, feel free to improvise as I did above, using apples instead of tomatoes.


Arugula Pancetta Salad
From Quick & Easy Paleo Foods
Serves 4-5

1/4 lb pancetta, diced
1 Tblsp olive oil
1 Tblsp cider vinegar
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced or put through a garlic press
6 cups baby arugula (about 5 oz)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup pecan halves, toasted

Fry the pancetta in a heavy skillet over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the pancetta is crisp.  Remove to a plate lined with paper towels.

Combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon zest and juice, mustard, honey, and garlic in a small glass bowl and whisk to combine.

Place the arugula, pancetta and tomatoes in a large serving bowl.

Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat.

Garnish with toasted pecans, if desired.