Fresh Peach Salad With Orange Dressing and Toasted Almonds
Make the most of fresh peaches with this salad. Photo by totalAldo
This salad is just one of many ways to use fresh peaches. You can make it with one kind of lettuce, such as arugula, or combine different salad greens. Boston lettuce, or butter, as it is also called, and fresh spinach are a good combination.
This recipe calls for one special ingredient — sesame oil. It is expensive, so buy the smallest bottle you can find. Unfortunately, this oil spoils quickly, which is another reason for buying a small bottle. I had a bottle in the refrigerator and somehow it was pushed to the back. Before I used the oil I put a dab on my finger and tasted it. Even though the oil was refrigerated it had turned rancid.
Still, sesame oil can add an undercurrent of flavor to many recipes. According to Tatiana Morales, author of the CBS News website article, “Cooking Oils That are Good for You,” sesame oil is healthy. This nutty oil contains vitamin E, an anti-oxidant that helps lower cholesterol, magnesium, copper, calcium, iron and vitamin B6.
Two types of oil are available. Light is made from untoasted sesame seeds. Dark is made from toasted ones. The Fine Cooking website tells how to choose the type that will work best in recipes. Since the untoasted is milder, it is often used for flavoring, as with this salad recipe. Toasted oil is used in stir-fry and Asian noodle recipes. As the website notes, however, “a little can go a long way.”
This recipe combines the sweetness of peaches, the tang of citrus, the nuttiness of sesame oil, and the crunchiness of almonds. Fresh Peach Salad with Orange Dressing and Toasted Almonds goes well with grilled steak, chicken, pork, and salmon. Add some leftover chicken and you have a main course.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tablespoons light sesame oil
1/4 cup extra light olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups (or more) salad greens
1 large, ripe peach, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Toast almonds in a small skillet, watching constantly. Remove almonds as soon as they begin to brown. Whisk vinegar, orange juice, sesame oil, olive oil, salt and pepper together. Put salad greens in a large bowl. Add sliced peaches and toasted almonds. Drizzle dressing over salad (you may not need it all) and toss gently. Makes 4 servings.
Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for 30+ years. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Association of Health Care Journalists, and Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her 24th book, “Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief,” written with Lois Krahn, MD is available from Amazon.
Centering Corporation has published her 26th book, “Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life” and a companion journal with 100 writing jump-starts. She writes a monthly column for the new “Caregiving in America” magazine and is contributing writer for the Open to Hope Foundation website. Please visit Harriet’s website and learn more about this busy author and grandmother.
