Avocado Peach Salad

This salad is intended to take advantage of fresh summer ingredients. The firm, buttery texture of the avocado goes brilliantly with the juicy softness of the peach, and the dressing ties them together with a sweet zing. Optional: Top with dried cranberries or pomegranate seeds.

Avocado Peach Salad Ingredients

• 1 medium lemon, juiced, divided

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 4 teaspoons clover honey

• salt

• 1 pinch dry mustard

• cup white sugar

• 1 tablespoon water

• cup walnuts, roughly chopped

• salt

• 1 firm-ripe peach

• 1 firm-ripe avocado. halved

• 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese, or more to taste

• 4 cups baby spinach

How to Make Avocado Peach Salad

1. Reserve 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice. Whisk the rest with brown sugar and vinegar until sugar dissolves. Add olive oil, honey, 1 pinch salt, and mustard. Whisk until dressing is thoroughly emulsified; set aside.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix white sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat, without stirring, until sugar has melted and is just beginning to change color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add walnuts and stir to coat; turn mixture out onto the parchment paper. Season lightly with salt and allow to cool.

3. Fill a medium-sized pot with enough water to submerge peach. Bring to a boil; add peach. Boil for 1 minute and turn off heat. Let sit for another minute; remove peach from water with a spider or slotted spoon. Place onto a folded towel to cool.

4. Cut each avocado half into 8 slices using a small knife. Carefully remove skin. Brush avocado slices with the reserved lemon juice.

5. Peel the loosened skin from the peach, taking care not to squash the flesh, and discard. Cut into 16 even slices. Carefully pry out 1 slice; remove the remaining slices from the pit. Trim away any hard bits of the stone that adhere to the center of the slices.

6. Crack and separate any of the cooled candied walnuts that have stuck together. Toss them with the crumbled blue cheese.

7. Divide spinach over 4 salad plates. Arrange peach and avocado on top in alternating and partially overlapping slices, forming a ring. Spoon the blue cheese-walnut mixture into the middle of each ring. Drizzle the dressing over the salads.

Avocado Peach Salad Nutritions

• Calories: 486.8 calories

• Carbohydrate: 37.7 g

• Cholesterol: 21.3 mg

• Fat: 35.7 g

• Fiber: 6.2 g

• Protein: 10.6 g

• SaturatedFat: 8.7 g

• ServingSize:

• Sodium: 504.8 mg

• Sugar: 27.7 g

• TransFat:

• UnsaturatedFat: