Each summer we seem to find a new favorite dish, and this year Quinoa Kale Peach Salad is it. Have we made things that are more delicious? Yes, I still can’t get over the Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Truffles from Minimalist Baker, the Raw Almond Thumbprint cookies from Running on Veggies or the straight up sugar + chocolate indulgence of these Glazed Brownies that I made last week. I love dessert, obviously, but the rest of the time I like to find things that a fresh, easy and most of all good for you. We’ve started to rearrange to way we choose are food from “I think I eat healthy” to “I actually eat healthy” and while there’s more to say on that this dish fits the bill.

Abundant in veggies that are fresh it’s perfect for summer and with minimal cooking so you don’t even have to turn on your oven. Win! The other thing I love about this recipe is that it’s easy to use with a group and allows people to make their own combination if necessary and create a salad they like. In fact, you don’t even have to use all of the ingredients we do – any grain or green can be used and you can add and subtract based on what you have available – but here is our starting point.

Quinoa Kale Peach Salad : serves 2-4

2 cups cooked quinoa (black / red / white)

1 cup cooked couscous (we like to mix and match)

4 cups de-stemmed and chopped kale or another green

3 diced tomatoes or several handfuls of cherry tomatoes

1 shallot finely chopped + quickly pickled : add a half cup of apple cider vinegar and a dash of sugar and allow to sit at least 30min

1 diced avocado

2 peaches or nectarines chopped

Get all of your ingredients together, then layer to make your salad. Start by combining the greens and grains, then add the tomatoes, avocado + peach and top with some pickled shallots. Drizzle with your favorite dressing or use one of ours :

lemon vinegrette:

juice of one lemon

olive or grapeseed oil (something neutral in flavor)

* if you have it, add a dash of your favorite shrub (okay I just discovered shrubs this summer and they are AMAZING!) I bought a michigan rhubarb drinking vinegar aka shrub from the Eastern Market when I was home in Detroit and it’s so surprisingly good.

add all to a container to shake – start with slightly more oil than acid and adjust according to taste!

I put this salad together on Periscope a few weeks ago and while Tiffany was probably the only person (who I know personally) that saw it, I’ll be broadcasting something tonight so find me if you want to say hi and see me without makeup. xo