Fare Thee Well Health

Summer Peach Salad with Peach Vinaigrette Dressing

Ingredients

Summer Peach Salad

1container baby spring lettuce mix(or 50/50 baby spinach and baby spring lettuce mix)
goat cheese(crumbled or solid log style – you can easily crumble it with a fork)
1T. honey(raw and locally-derived preferably)
1small red onion
2medium ripe peaches
few spearmint leaves
1pinch salt
1pinch pepper
½c. raw pecans
1tsp. Vanilla extract
1tsp. cinnamon(ceylon variety ideally)
¼tsp. cuminground
2 organic chicken breasts or one grass fed steak* optional

Peach Vinaigrette Dressing

Instructions

Summer Peach Salad

If you’ll be adding chicken to your salad, lightly drizzle extra virgin olive oil on two organic chicken breasts and season with course sea salt and ground pepper. Grill (or bake in 350-degree oven for 30 minutes), or until just cooked through, but very tender. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
In medium sauté pan, add ½ cup of chopped raw pecans, 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract, a dash (about ¼ tsp.) ground cumin, 1 T. raw honey, 1 tsp. Ceylon cinnamon and a pinch of course sea salt, and stir continuously over medium heat until all ingredients are mixed and pecans are evenly coated. Stirring continuously prevents the pecans from burning. Scoop pecans into a small bowl. Set aside.
Rinse and pat dry the salad mix, and generously fill salad bowls (approx.3/4 of the way)
Slice the small red onion and add approx. ¼ cup to each salad bowl
If adding chicken, slice or cube the meat into small pieces and add to salad (approx. ½ chicken breast per salad bowl)
Peel, pit and slice peaches and add 6 to 8 slices on top of each salad (or more/less, depending on preference – we prefer more in our household because, well, ripe peaches ROCK!)
Sprinkle crumbled goat cheese on top of salad mixture
Finish off the salad with a spoonful of glazed pecans, a few tender leaves of fresh spearmint, homemade peach vinaigrette dressing and a pinch more salt and pepper, to taste.

Peach Vinaigrette Dressing

For dressing — Blend together the following until smooth: 3 medium-size ripe peaches (peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped); 2 heaping T. raw honey; 1 T. fresh lemon or lime juice; ¾ cup raw apple cider vinegar; ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil; and ½ tsp each of course sea salt and ground pepper.
Empty into cruet or dressing container, and chill for at least 1 hour.
Drizzle over salad and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Note: this dressing recipe makes enough for MANY salads, so refrigerate and enjoy for days – or share some with family/friends.