This wonderful mix of chopped ingredients insures that every bite contains a mix of flavors and textures. And so visually appealing! My Sensational Summer Peach & Veggie Chopped Salad IS THE Salad of the summer!
– Local lettuces, veggies, white peaches, feta cheese and skillet smokey almonds are in the mix!
CRUNCH – CRUNCH!
Toss all with my Apple Cider Vinegar – Mustard & Honey Vinaigrette
I also call this salad a “Chopped Market Salad” – its ingredients are inspired by local farmers’ markets offerings of the season.
These are the base for the salad
Peach Chopped Salad Ingredients:
- Red Leaf Lettuce – I use the inner crispy and lighter leaves
- Iceberg Lettuce
- White Peaches
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Radishes
- Purple Scallions (can use red onion or Vidalia)
- Cucumbers
- Mizuna*
- Hearts of Palm
- Feta Cheese ~ adds protein, a creaminess & tangy flavor
- Skillet Smokey Almonds (recipe given) ADDS essential CRUNCH!
- Toasted Quinoa for added protein, fiber and crunch
*Mizuna: I love the flavor! Mizuna: is a leafy vegetable in mustard family (mine is flowering) offering a mild, slightly peppery, and earthy flavor. Mizuna’s taste is peppery like arugula and slightly bitter like frisée, yet it’s milder and sweeter than either of these more commonly found salad greens. (Can substitute arugula.)
THE VINAIGRETTE:
Apple Cider Vinegar – Mustard & Honey Vinaigrette (see recipe!)
A simple vinaigrette to complement the salad.
Other Ingredients to Choose From:
Choose ingredients you love, have on hand – or that inspire you at the market!
~ Cut most of the ingredients to a similar size!
- Roasted Beets: Red Ruby, Golden or my favorite; Chioggia (candy cane)
- Endive
- Colorfull Peppers
- Avocado
- Proteins – such as Grilled Shrimp, Grilled or Rotisserie Chicken, Sautéed Crispy Tofu and steamed Edamame
- Vidalia Onions
- Colorful Cherry Tomatoes – cut in half
- Your favorite toasted Nuts
Ingredients are chopped in a SIMILAR SIZE
What exactly is a Chopped Salad?
A salad of mixed ingredients all cut in a similar size.
Some pieces can be a tad larger – yet the idea for every forkful contains a perfect, balanced mix of flavors and textures – all dressed with a delicious vinaigrette (or dressing.)
Think about mixing textures!
Crunchy, Crispy, Smooth, Crumbly, Flaky, Fibrious – Juicy
Some salads are solely vegetarian or vegan, while some add in meats (like salami), fish (like cubed roasted salmon, shrimp or tuna packed in oil) and chicken (pulled or roasted.)
Size doesn’t really matter – yet try to make most of the ingredients cut into a uniform size so each forkful contains a mix of components.. Can be as small as 1/2 inch to 1 inch.
See all the textures! I so love the Skillet Smoked Almonds tossed in! I like to chop some, and leave a few whole
The beginning of my salad – many ingredients chopped and added to the bowl.
Now, I add chunks of Feta Cheese and my Toasted Skillet Smokey Almonds.
Lastly, I dress the salad with my simple Apple Cider Vinegar – Mustard & Honey Vinaigrette. Now toss and serve!
HINT: when adding diced peaches to the salad…
Add them just before serving. If you must add a little before serving – add some squeezed lemon juice to them, so they do not brown.
So easy… naturally smokey, crispy & delish!
Make your own! Just a few ingredients.
A popular brand “Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds” – see ingredients below; have unwanted ingredients.
I DO NOT buy anything with “natural flavorings” not natural! – manufacturers can add hundreds of hidden chemicals, solvents, and preservatives without disclosing them. “Natural” is not regulated by FDA.
ALMONDS, SUNFLOWER OIL, SEA SALT, MALTODEXTRIN, LESS THAN 1% OF: [NATURAL HICKORY SMOKE FLAVOR, YEAST, HYDROLYZED CORN AND SOY
PROTEIN (hidden MSG) , NATURAL FLAVORS]
MY Ingredients – Karen’s Skillet Smokey Almonds: 1/4 cup toasted almonds, 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter, 1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder, 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder and two big pinches sea salt. (See more in Recipe.) AND takes 3 minutes to make!!
A simple whisked vinaigrette – perfect complement to the chopped salad.
It is robustly tangy, with sweetness from honey – and extra flavor from garlic and coarse ground mustard. Olive oil is streamed in to emulsify.
About White Peaches:
White peaches are simply cultivars with pale flesh. Colors range from faint rose that are rather deep in color, different from the golden color found in yellow peaches.
White Peaches are low-acid and intensely fragrant – think honeysuckle and candy.
I’m using the Carolina Belle variety from South Carolina, which is a freestone peach.
Freestones – flesh separates easily from the stone (pit.) Best to use for cooking!
Clingstone – peach flesh is firmly attached to the pit. Best for eating out of hand.
Yes – can prep in advance
- Lettuces can be washed and dried and can be cut a few hours before serving
- Vegetables can be cut a few hours before serving
- PEACHES – should be cut just before tossing and serving the salad… BUT firm ones can be cut a few hours in advance and squeezed with lemon juice, to stop browning
- Make the 3 minute Skillet Smokey Almonds ahead of time
- Make Karen’s Apple Cider Vinegar – Mustard & Honey Vinaigrette ahead of time, (up to 3 weeks)
Enjoy this delightful Chopped Peach and Veggie Salad! Less messy to eat – more flavor in every bite!
Karen
More Recipes:
Karen’s Summer Greek Salad with Peaches & Fennel
See MY CATEGORY: Creative Salads
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Sensational Summer Peach & Veggie Chopped Salad
Ingredients
The Chopped Salad:
- 2 1/2 cups iceberg lettuce, diced
- 2 1/2 cups green leaf or red leaf lettuce, I use the inner crispier leaves – on use romaine lettuce
- 1 cup Mizuna , a type of mustard green, can use arugula
- 2 medium peaches*, pitted, diced (some can be cut in slices for visual appeal)
- 1/2 cup cucumbers , diced, anyway
- 1/2 cup sugar snap peas, (strung) look for fat ones!
- 1/3 cup radishes, sliced in rounds
- 1/3 cup purple scallions, or red onion, Vidalia onion cut thinly
- 1/2 cup hearts of palm, sliced
- 1/2 cup radicchio , diced
- 1/3 cup feta cheese, cut from the block, 1/2" pieces or can use crumbled. Use more if you like.
Karen's Skillet Smokey Almonds
- 1/4 cup toasted whole almonds, (with skins)
- 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter, I use organic
- 1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 big pinches sea salt
Instructions
Peach Chopped Salad:
- Wash and dry all ingredients.I cut the lettuces in 1" pieces. Cut the vegetables a little smaller – about 1/2 inch.
- Add all to a large bowl. Add Feta Cheese and Skillet Smokey Almonds (I cut most into small pieces)Add Karen's Apple Cider Vinegar – Mustard & Honey Vinaigrette just before serving, and toss.
Karen's Skillet Smokey Almonds:
- Toasted Almonds: Toast your own, or purchase them toasted. To Toast Raw ones: add them to a small baking sheet in a single layer, toast at 325 degrees about 8 minutes; cool.
- Add 1/2 t. butter to a small 8 inch skillet. Melt over low heat. Add almonds, stir to coat. Cook until they are sizzling – about 2 to 3 minutes and immediately add to a small bowl. Add all seasonings, stir to coat, leave to crisp. Easy!These will be chopped and added to the Peach Chopped Salad.
Make: Karen's Apple Cider Vinegar – Mustard & Honey Vinaigrette
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Karen’s Apple Cider Vinegar – Mustard & Honey Vinaigrette
Equipment
- 1 small bowl
- 1 wire whisk
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar , I use Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar, organic
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic, peeled, finely grated
- 3/4 teaspoon grainy dijon mustard , I use 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon raw honey
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add the first 6 ingredients – apple cider vinegar through honey to a small bowl. Hint: I rub Italian seasonings with my fingers to release its bouquet.
- Measure the olive oil. SLOWLY stream into the bowl while whisking.Add to a clean class carafe or container and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. Can definitely double or triple this recipe!
Notes
– Uses this Vinaigrette This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
