
It's summertime, and it is HOT! On warm, muggy days, my system just craves light, fresh, cool foods. Some of my favorite things about summer are watermelon and stone fruits! Omg YUM! Sometimes there's nothing as satisfying as biting into a perfectly ripe, juicy nectarine, for me at least. :) So here is a salad that is light, sweet, bursting with flavor and REFRESHING! When I picked up nectarines from the store, I made sure to choose ones that were already soft to the touch, not mushy, but in that nice "in-between stage" of can hold it's shape, however if you squeeze it, it might get mushy...
Ingredients:
1 Small head of Butterhead Lettuce (about 2.5 cups) finely chopped, or can use romaine lettuce or any other type of lettuce you like!
3-3.5 Cups of Watermelon, small dice (I made my dice about 1/2")
2 Ripe Nectarines, small dice
Couple handfulls of cherries, halfed and pit removed
2 Baby Cucumbers (or 1.5 cups reg cucumber), cut in half the long way and thinly sliced
1 Small Sprig of Fresh Cilantro, (about 1/2 cup), minced
1 Small Sprig of Fresh Mint, Leaves only (about 1/3 cup), minced
2 Limes, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
1 - 1.5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
~ 1.5 - 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Dash of Salt
Dash of Pepper
Feta cheese to top as desired (skip this for a vegan option)
Directions:
Prepare all the fresh ingredients: wash and chop, dice, slice or mince as noted above.
Arrange in a large bowl as: lettuce on the bottom then watermelon, nectarines, cherries, cucumber and then Feta cheese as desired.
In a small bowl mix together: minced fresh cilantro, fresh mint, lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
When ready to serve, add dressing over the top and toss lightly to combine.
Here are some photos, please note I used 2 limes, not one as pictured!


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