Recipe: Peach and Spinach Salad with Candied Almonds

Another beautiful salad based on what is a available in the fridge. I have to admit that in general I usually lean to a sweeter salad hence I am usually adding fresh fruit and / or a sweet vinaigrette. With great free stone peaches in season I try to keep using them in different ways before they leave us for another year. The peaches combined with the candied almonds are killer, just try not to eat them all before adding to the salad.

The Recipe: Peach and Spinach Salad with Candied Almonds

Serves 2 people who love salad
Vinaigrette:
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp olive oil
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp of honey

Candied Almonds:
1/2 cup of almonds (make extra if you want a treat)
pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 tbsp of butter
2 tbsp of honey

Salad:
4 oz of baby spinach
1 peach sliced and cut into half inch cubes
1 oz of roughly broken up mozzarella cheese (feta would also work great, but I am searching for a new producer since my local producer stop making organic feta)

Combine all ingredients for the the vinaigrette in a bowl and whisk until well incorporated. Place the almonds in an oven safe pan (I use my cast iron) and heat with butter, salt and honey until the honey is melted and all the almonds are coated. Place the pan in a 375 degree oven and cook for about 5 minutes, checking periodically to ensure the honey is not burning. Remove the almonds and place on plate to cool. Separate the almonds every couple minutes to avoid having to break them apart once they have hardened and cooled. The cooling process will take about 5-10 minutes.

Combine the spinach and the vinaigrette in a large bowl and toss. Do not add all the vinaigrette to start as you do not want to add to much. After the spinach is thoroughly covered add the almonds, peach, cheese and lightly toss so that all the toppings do not end up on the bottom of the bowl. Serve immediately and enjoy!