Luscious peaches and plums, along with chopped walnuts, crumbled Feta, and leafy lettuce make up this refreshing salad. A spritz of honey and lemon juice give it a light dressing that brings out the rich flavor of the fruit. When you are looking for a light lunch or lively side dish, there is nothing like a seasonal salad to brighten your day and boost your immune system.
Some days, I really crave a good salad to energize my body with fresh, bright ingredients. As a result of my baking craze this past few days, I am in desperate need of a light lunch! (My latest baking adventure includes soft pretzels, which are so good, but still need more practice before they hit the blog). This peach-plum salad works really well, because it is super-easy to make, and it uses the best of late summer fruits. Peaches with honey and lemon juice taste like a heavenly combination to me, and the savory aspect of the walnuts and Feta add depth to the flavor.
Late summer is my favorite time of year to eat peaches, since their flavor and color seems to match the glorious mellow warmth of the September sun. We have had absolutely stunning weather the past couple of days, and I just want to hold onto this as long as possible, because to me, this is the most comfortable weather we get. Cool, misty mornings give way to warm, soft afternoons, which lead to dinners full of fresh fruits and vegetables out on the screened-in porch. Nights are cool, and the breeze coming in the open windows is laden with the sound of crickets and cicadas. The light outside is not so strong as it is in the height of summer, so it is a photographer’s dream.
This salad is so very easy to make, it hardly requires a recipe, and sometimes just a pretty photo and a few words will remind us of a great combination of delicious, healthy ingredients. I have included a recipe below, though it is flexible and can be adjusted easily. I consciously used honey in the dressing, not only because it tastes great with this salad, but also because I have heard that consuming locally-made honey can help with allergies. This is the time of year when I often get seasonal allergies, so I have been trying to incorporate local honey into my meals as often as possible.
I hope you are having a great week, and enjoy the diffused light of September! Sometimes it is easier to see when the light is not so bright. “Summer has filled her veins with light and her heart is washed with noon.” ~C. Day Lewis
Peach-Plum Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 fresh, ripe peach
- 1 fresh, ripe plum
- a small head of leafy lettuce, such as Boston lettuce or green leaf lettuce
- a handful of chopped raw walnuts
- crumbled Feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 4 teaspoons of lemon juice
- black pepper to taste
Directions:
In a small bowl, stir together the honey and the lemon juice. Taste, and adjust the levels if you wish.
Wash the lettuce, pat it dry, and tear it into bite-sized pieces. Wash and slice the peach and the plum. Place the lettuce on two salad plates and top with sliced peaches and plums. Sprinkle a handful of walnuts onto the salads, and then a handful of crumbled Feta. Drizzle the honey-lemon juice mixture over the salads. Top with a tiny bit of ground black pepper. Enjoy!
