Summer Shrimp and Peach Salad

I’m a salad girl. Any time, any season, any meal. My kids have joked that I will even make breakfast into a salad, ha! Summer is the most salad-friendly season of all. Fresh greens, fresh veggies, and fresh fruits, all waiting to be chopped, tossed, and going in my mouth!

And then there are peaches. Sweet summer peaches. They’re one of life greatest pleasures from June through August. Truly!

So I’ve been seeing these salads that pair shrimp and peaches, and I knew I had to try it. I looked through several recipes, taking inspiration from each to come up with my own that would suit my family’s taste. We tried it last night and really enjoyed it! I’ll definitely be making this again before peach season is over!

Summer Shrimp and Peach Salad

Serves 6

Ingredients:

–Mixed greens or spinach

–2 pounds large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

–3 to 4 peaches, sliced into thick wedges

–Goat cheese or feta (I put out both for everyone to choose their preference. Goat cheese for me, yum!)

–Toasted pecans or toasted almonds (again, I put out both for everyone to choose. Pecans for me!)

–Vinaigrette dressing (recipe follows)

Thread the shrimp onto skewers and season with a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and drizzle of olive oil. Grill until pink and done, but not tough. Set the shrimp aside and place the peach wedges on the grill just until they soften and show those pretty grill marks.

On a dinner plate, layer the lettuce, shrimp skewers, goat cheese, pecans, and peaches. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. (I thought about adding some peach jam to the vinaigrette but decided that would be a little too peachy. Hmm, maybe next time. What do you think?)

Vinaigrette:

–1 cup oil

–1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

–3 Tbsp. honey

–several sprigs of fresh thyme

–salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together until well- blended. Adjust seasoning to your liking. This makes plenty to have some leftover for other salads. You could cut the recipe in half, but if your a salad girl like me, you’ll find a use for it!

So what are your favorite summer salad ingredients?