The 8th graders at Shining Mountain Waldorf School held a huge peach sale this week and we participated by ordering two cases. Today, the boys and I picked up 40 pounds of luscious local Colorado peaches after dismissal. Hands and faces sticky with juice, the boys dug in before we made it to the car.
Now, we are in peach heaven, flush with fruit. Accordingly, I have been rifling through recipes to find a variety of ways to put our massive haul to good use.
Although it may be an unexpected pairing, I have always enjoyed the combination of peaches and arugula; following is my go to summer salad, which works well for this time of year too.
Peach Arugula Salad
Ingredients
- 2 large peaches, sliced
- 1 (5 ounce) package baby arugula
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, toss peaches and arugula
- Drizzle with green goddess dressing
- Serve
Equipment
I served this at my birthday dinner with my favorite green goddess dressing instead of the vinaigrette above and it was a huge hit. The next night Chris (Josh’s mom) requested that I bring this salad to her house when we made dinner over there for our families. The combination of peaches and arugula is very refreshing and lapped up by adults and children alike. You can also try this salad with my spicy walnut vinaigrette, which has smoked paprika in it for a pungent change of pace.
What is your favorite way to prepare peaches? Please let us know! I still have 37 lbs to go!
Farmgirl Susan says
Yum! I love arugula and I love peaches, but I never would have thought to combine the two. Thanks for the delicious inspiration! :)
CoconutGal says
OK- so I guess I am on an Elana’s Pantry kick this week. I served this salad with grilled salmon last night, YUM!! This was my first time eating arugula! I’ve seen a few salads you’ve posted using it, so I decided to be brave and pick up a bunch at the farmer’s market. I was a little nervous while I was prepping it because I popped a piece in my mouth and whoa it was spicy!! But the addition of the sweet peaches and olive oil/vinegar was the perfect combo and the flavors mingled together very nicely. We loved the crunch of the walnuts.
This is a new favorite! It’s going on our weekly rotation, gotta take advantage of peach season! (I will also try it with your Green Goddess Dressing, I’ve made that one several times so I know I like it!)
I better make a Flickr account because I took a photo of this one too :-)
Yum yum yum
<3
elana says
Ninafur,
Thanks, that is an amazing suggestion and one I will definitely try.
Elana
Ninufar says
I don’t know if you have any left, but if you end up with some extra peaches that are not fully ripe, my favorite trick is to add them to red lentil or yellow-pea curry.
(Living in the northeastern corner of the country, we mostly get not-so-luscious peaches. Cooked, they’re more interesting than zucchini and they make the dish smell nice!)
elana says
Ya’ara -I love that idea!!!! I am going to dry them out in my oven on the lowest setting. I will stay away from the roof as the squirrels in my neighborhood are very aggressive.
Athena -I tend to put fruits in my green salads, even with the vinegar and olive oil, it is quite tasty. Your cobbler sounds delicious, as does the lightly stewed peach compote over pancakes!