Perfect Summer Salad

I had my family over for dinner tonight and being that it was scorching hot out today I wanted to cook something light and refreshing. I had made this salad once last summer and forgot how delicious it is... it doesn't get much better then peaches and prosciutto! You can vary it based on ingredients you like and add more protein to fill up the guys in your life :). It is great paired with sparkling white wine.

Summer Salad 
(Adapted from myrecipes)
3-4 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons agave nectar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
• 1 head sweet butter lettuce 
• 3 ripe peaches, cut into wedges
• 9 thin slices of proscuitto (2-3 per person)
• Pumpkin seeds, sprinkle on top
• Goat cheeses, crumble on top of the salad 
• 1 lb chilled cooked shrimp 
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped 

Directions:

1. For the dressing: combine first 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Gradually drizzle in olive oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in chopped mint.

2. Arrange the lettuce on a plate in a bowl to make a bed for the rest of your ingredients. Start building the salad with the rest of the ingredients. Top with the pumpkin seeds and goat cheese. Lastly drizzle the dressing over to finish the dish.
 
 Savor and Enjoy!

Lunch for the Week

I like to use Sundays as a time to get a couple meals together to carry me through the week and keep me from eating lunch or dinner out too often. One item I like to throw together is a fresh salad where I incorporate some type of bean or grain. For this I will use things like garbanzo beans, quinoa, tabbouleh, etc and then add in any veggies that I have on-hand. From there I usually drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Throughout the week you can use this salad as your base and mix it up. For one meal add in tuna, another meal you can stuff a pita or atop spinach leaves.

The salad I made below consisted of garbanzo beans, celery, cucumber, onion and tuna. I put the mixture over kale leaves and topped with feta for a delicious and healthy meal.

Let me know what combinations you try!