One of the body-loving ways I love to welcome in the summer months, is by adding more fresh fruits to my salad bowls. Fruits provide a punch of sweetness and tangy flavour. They also offer an excellent, all-natural source of essential vitamins and minerals, dietary fibre, flavonoids and antioxidants. Let's get cooking with my famous Grilled Peach Summer salad...
Summer salads are the perfect meal on a sizzling hot day. Greens and salad ingredients are often high water content vegetables making a fresh bowl very hydrating in the summer heat. Topping your salad with a small serving of fresh fruit increases these hydrating effects and provide a wonderful sweet kick to your bowl.
On a budget? Choose fruits (and greens) that are in season to stretch your budget as far as possible. As summer approaches, delicious fruits such as blueberries, grapes, mangos, nectarines, peaches, raspberries, strawberries are plentiful and usually pretty cheap. Another cheap way to enjoy fruits it to buy frozen. In many cases, the fruit is frozen the day its picked and this helps to preserve all the antioxidants and nutrients.
What Fruits Go Well In Salads?
What fruit to add? Personal taste and the sky is the limit really, but some pairings are practically nice. The key is to finely chop or slice the fruit and use sparingly so its not taking of the whole bowl.
Try these ingredients:
Apple, pear, and Asian Nashi pears pair beautifully with walnuts and kale
Berries (all types) always go well with dark, leafy greens like spinach and a little feta
Grapes, kiwi and mango are great in classic salads with a little diced cheddar
Rock melon, honeydew and watermelon pair nicely with arugula or endive greens
Oranges, mandarins and grapefruit are delicious tougher salad greens like Romaine
Are Fruit Salad Bowls very healthy? They most certainly are if you don't go too overboard. You really only need a small handful (1/4 cup) of fruit to sprinkle over top or toss with the greens. In many cases, the juices mean you won't feel the need for dressing--a good thing! For those watching their A1c and blood sugar levels, fruits that are high fibre and lower carb can easily be enjoyed. As a diabetic, I moderate my intake and use a lot of berries for the this very reason. If you are insulin resistant, always pair your salad with a lean protein source or with nuts and seeds for blood sugar balance.
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Key Ingredients Used
Peaches are in season in Australia October through to April in most states. They offer a deliciously sweet, any-time snack and are fabulous eaten whole or sliced up in fruit or vegetable salads, blended in smoothies, baked into muffins, added to desserts, and of course, in pavlova. When you grill peaches, the flesh softens into a super yummy, smoky-sweet flavor and caramelized texture that I promise you'll come to love as much as my family does.
Food Sensitivities
What if I am allergic to peaches? The most common allergic reactions to peaches begins with itching of mouth and throat, redness and swelling of the lips, usually within the 5-15 minutes after eating the fruit. These symptoms relapse 15 to 60 minutes later. This is known as the “oral allergy syndrome”. If you have sensitives to other stone fruit, you may want to give peaches and miss and try substituting with mango which has a similar texture and sweet taste.
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Grilled Peach Summer Salad Recipe
This Grilled Peach Summer Salad recipe is going to blow up your entire summer around the BBQ! Before long, you'll be grilling all kinds of fruit. Its just so easy--and delicious. If you don't have a BBQ, you can make this recipe in an indoor grilling pan or hot skillet.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
2 cups mixed salad green (beetroot + leaf lettuce used here)
2 large peaches, skin on, organic
2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
1 lime, just the juice
2 tsp balsamic glaze (optional)
Rinse the peaches and leave the skin on (this is why its recommended you use organic). Chop into thin quarters for grilling. Baste with a little olive oil to avoid the flesh sticking to the grill. Fire up the BBQ and cook until fragrant. Flip and cook on the other side. It usually only takes 5-7 minutes per side on a hot BBQ. If you like a little crunch, cook for less. The longer the fruit cooks, the softer it gets. Remove from the BBQ and toss with your salad greens.
Other Recipe Ideas
Yes, you can use grilled peaches in other recipes. Don't be shy to experiment. Grilled peaches add a smoky-sweet flavor and caramelized texture that pairs nicely with other grilled foods such as chicken, salmon or white fish, and even other veggies like capsicums, eggplant, onions and zucchini. Toss the over pasta salad, zucchini noodles, or top your favorite stir fry with a punch of sweetness.
Also don't just use peaches, once you get started grilling fruit it is addictive. Try experimenting with other fleshy fruits such as mango, nectarines, pineapple, plums, strawberries, and even watermelon. I promise you, its so good!
Emma Lisa, Nutritionist & Women's Practitioner
Emma Lisa is a Nutritionist & Women's Health Practitioner with over 12+ years experience in wholefood nutrition, meal planning and health coaching. She is a published cookbook author, passionate food recipe creator and lifestyle blogger, and an advocate for women's health and anti-diet culture. When she's not in clinic, Emma is mum to five kids, in her test kitchen and a wellness digital creator. She lives in Sydney, Australia.
Healthy + happiness,
Emma Lisa xx
HEALTH & NUTRITION PRACTITIONER
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