Healthy Waists, Healthy Wallets: Summertime Peach Vinaigrette

It’s summer, and in our house, that means peaches. Lots of peaches. Peaches all over the place. We gorge on peaches in the summer.

My kiddos buzz them up in smoothies. I chop them up and eat them with blueberries in Greek yogurt. I’ve got enough peeled and diced and frozen to make it through the long, peachless winter. But we still want MORE.

I created this salad dressing to use up some of the peaches we had gotten that were just on the cusp of going over. It’s simple and delicious and healthy. You can use it on grilled pork or chicken. I love it on a salad of baby greens (usually sold as “Super Greens”) or arugula with a little bit of cheese (I love a soft cheese like fresh mozzarella or goat cheese with this) and some toasted, slivered almonds. My older kiddo has eaten it with a spoon. It’s just that good.

Summer Peach Vinaigrette

Ingredients

4 ripe peaches
1 small shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Optional: dried or fresh herbs – think basil, tarragon, chervil, or thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

First, peel the peaches. To easily peel any kind of stone fruit, simply bring a large stockpot of water to a rolling boil. On the bottom of the fruit (not the stem end), make two shallow cuts in a cross. Once the water is really boiling, gently place the fruit into the pot. Don’t crowd them. Do this in batches if you need to! Let the fruit bob around for about 30 to 45 seconds and then remove with a slotted spoon. (You can plunge them into an ice bath at this point, but I don’t do that. It’s just more things to clean later.) You will be able to easily remove the skin from the fruit.

To make the vinaigrette, chop up the peeled peaches and add them to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add in the shallot, vinegar, and optional herbs. Buzz everything up until it’s well blended. Add the salt and pepper and buzz again. While the machine is running, drizzle the olive oil into the dressing. Taste for seasoning again and then store in an airtight container in the fridge. I would make this at least an hour before you need it. It will last for about three days in the fridge. The actual amount of vinaigrette will vary with the size of your peaches.