Summer Salad with Peaches, Apricots and Spicy Sausage

Grilled peaches are one of my favorite things about summer. I don’t have a grill in my apartment, unless you count my grill pan, which is impossible to clean, so I made this salad by roasting the fruits and sausage, but the whole time I was thinking about turning this recipe into a grilled salad at my parents’ house this summer! 

A few very flavorful components are mixed together to create this light yet filling summer salad: browning the fruit makes it extra sweet, a great contrast to the spicy sausage, tangy lime and peppery arugula.

Feel free to substitute the sausage with salmon (which I almost did) or tuna, or even leave out the protein all together. In which case, it would transform from a main-dish salad into a side salad. I thought about adding a jalapeño pepper into the mix, but since I used spicy sausages, I decided against it. If I left out the sausage, I’d probably combine the chopped jalapeno with the shallots to mellow them out together.

Summer Salad with Peaches, Apricots and Spicy Sausage

Ingredients:

• 4 cups baby arugula
• 2 peaches, cut into 8 each wedges
• 4 apricots, cut into 4 wedges each
• 4 spicy sausages (I used Jack’s Gourmet Hot Italian)
• 1/2 shallot
• juice of 2 limes, divided
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Thinly slice the shallot into half moons and place in a bowl with the juice of half a lime to marinate. Set aside.
2. Whisk the rest of the lime juice with the olive oil and cumin. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. Grill the fruit or roast in a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes.
4. Grill the sausages, or brown on the stove according to the package directions. Remove from heat, let cool slightly and slice.
5. Assemble the salad: Toss the arugula in a bowl with the lime vinaigrette. Top with the grilled fruit and sausages, then sprinkle the shallots on top. Serve immediately.