Anna Maria Locke

July 2014

the EPIC bacon and nectarine summer salad

July 2014AnnaComment

I think I might have just concocted the best salad of my life.

A few days ago, I was scrolling through my blog reader (guilty pleasure when I get a spare five minutes at work), quickly and mindlessly skimming titles and pictures until I came across THIS salad from one of my favorite food blogs, How Sweet It Is. Oh my goodness. It's been on my mind ever since, and tonight our nectarines were finally ripe enough to throw together my version of this bowl of summery goodness.

This salad has it all. Crispy radishes, creamy avocado, juicy and sweet nectarines, salty and crunchy bacon, goat cheese, a tangy lemon vinaigrette, juicy chicken, and whatever else you might have picked up at the farmer's market! It's my favorite kind of "kitchen sink" concoction. When it comes to salads, more is always more.

Seriously. Go make this.

Epic Summer Salad with Bacon and Nectarines

Serves 2

Inspired by How Sweet It Is

Salad ingredients:

- 4 to 6 cups mixed greens

- 1/2 avocado, sliced

- 1 ripe nectarine, sliced

- 4 radishes, thinly sliced

- red onion, sliced (to taste)

- 4 slices nitrate free bacon

- 1 chicken breast, chopped

- crumbled goat cheese (to taste)

- salt and pepper

Cook the bacon until desired level of crispiness, then set aside on a plate lined with paper towels. Drain all but ~2 T of bacon fat from the hot pan, and cook the chicken in the bacon fat with a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and your favorite spices. Let the epicness commence.

Assemble salads with your desired proportions of all ingredients, drizzle with Lemon Vinaigrette, and enjoy with a glass of rose!

Lemon Vinaigrette

Makes approx 3/4 cup dressing

- juice of 2 lemons

- 1/4 cup olive oil

- 1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar (Bragg's)

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 2 tsp maple syrup (more to taste)

- salt and pepper

Shake all ingredients in a jar, and store in the fridge!