Nectarine Blue Cheese Spinach Salad
Servings: 2
Calories:
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 3 oz fresh baby spinach a little more than half of a 5oz container
- a handful of toasted sliced or slivered almonds
- 5 -6 dried figs sliced in half or quarters
- 1 ripe nectarine pit removed & thinly sliced
- 2 oz blue cheese broken into bite size pieces
For the Fig Vinaigrette
- 1/2 shallot
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 3 tbsp fig balsamic vinegar not the sweet, reduced balsamic glaze
- 1 1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp whole grain mustard optional
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Make Vinaigrette
- In a blender (or with a stick blender) combine all ingredients EXCEPT oil. Blend on medium speed until thoroughly combined, then lower speed and slowly drizzle in olive oil until blended.
- Pile everything on top of your spinach, drizzle dressing & eat.
Notes
There are only 5 ingredients in this salad, so make sure they are of the best quality you can get. Spring for the good cheese, don't buy the stuff that is already crumbled. It tastes like Styrofoam. Make sure the nectarine is ripe & luscious, under ripe fruit doesn't have any flavor.
Normally when I make this salad, I add in crispy prosciutto. Place a few paper-thin slices of prosciutto on a non-stick (Silpat) silicone baking sheet if you have one or parchment paper if you don't, put this on a rimmed baking (cookie) sheet and bake at 350 degrees until super crispy.
Fresh mozzarella works beautifully in this salad if you don't like blue cheese. As with the blue cheese, get the good stuff, not the shredded cheese in a bag that you would throw on a pizza.
Normally when I make this salad, I add in crispy prosciutto. Place a few paper-thin slices of prosciutto on a non-stick (Silpat) silicone baking sheet if you have one or parchment paper if you don't, put this on a rimmed baking (cookie) sheet and bake at 350 degrees until super crispy.
Fresh mozzarella works beautifully in this salad if you don't like blue cheese. As with the blue cheese, get the good stuff, not the shredded cheese in a bag that you would throw on a pizza.