we are just a few days away from the official start of summer and i am THRILLED. i have always been a summer lover and as i look back at the last thirty years, it is becoming very clear that the food was a big part of that sweet affection. 

grilling and juicy summer fruits are big parts of my strong feelings about summer and they collide perfectly in this salad. now if you don’t have a grill, or hell, you are one of those fruit in your salad haters, don’t be deterred. you can easily serve this salad with out grilling your nectarines and if you want to sub the nectarines for a grilled protein like chicken or steak, you will still be thrilled. 

grilled nectarine + goat cheese salad

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 10 minutes 

total time: 20 minutes

ingredients: 8 cups mixed greens. 3 nectarines sliced from the pit but with flat edges, not wedge slices so they can be grilled. 1 cup thinly sliced red onions. .5 cup chopped walnuts. .5 cup crumbled goat cheese. 25 cup olive oil. .25 cup red wine vinegar. .25 cup apple cider vinegar. 1 tbs honey. 10 mint leaves, finely chopped. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. marigold petals, optional.

start by preheating your grill to a medium high heat. while your grill is heating, combine 2 tbs of olive oil and half the salt and pepper. drizzle it over your nectarines and set them aside. combine the remaining olive oil with the two vinegars, the honey and the remaining salt and pepper. add your thinly sliced red onions to the mix and set them aside.

when your grill is nice and hot, place your nectarines on the grill, flesh side down and grill them till they have some grill marks and the flesh is nice and soft. about 5-7 minutes.

remove them from the grill and start to assemble your salad.

top your mixed greens with your flower petals if you are using them. layer on your pickled onions, the peaches, the goat cheese and the walnuts.

drizzle everything with a few tbs of the onion pickling liquid.

serve and enjoy.

xo, a

grilled nectarine + goat cheese salad

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 10 minutes 

total time: 20 minutes

ingredients: 8 cups mixed greens. 3 nectarines sliced from the pit but with flat edges, not wedge slices so they can be grilled. 1 cup thinly sliced red onions. .5 cup chopped walnuts. .5 cup crumbled goat cheese. 25 cup olive oil. .25 cup red wine vinegar. .25 cup apple cider vinegar. 1 tbs honey. 10 mint leaves, finely chopped. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. marigold petals, optional.

start by preheating your grill to a medium high heat. while your grill is heating, combine 2 tbs of olive oil and half the salt and pepper. drizzle it over your nectarines and set them aside. combine the remaining olive oil with the two vinegars, the honey and the remaining salt and pepper. add your thinly sliced red onions to the mix and set them aside. when your grill is nice and hot, place your nectarines on the grill, flesh side down and grill them till they have some grill marks and the flesh is nice and soft. about 5-7 minutes. remove them from the grill and start to assemble your salad. top your mixed greens with your flower petals if you are using them. layer on your pickled onions, the peaches, the goat cheese and the walnuts. drizzle everything with a few tbs of the onion pickling liquid. serve and enjoy.

cinco de mayo may have come and gone, but lucky for us, taco tuesday comes once a month to this here blog. don’t let the wide variety of ingredients on these tacos deter you. they are all easy to come by ingredients, many of which you may have on hand and they all come together to make one BOMB ass taco.

these quick pickled onions and avocado cream are great on shrimp tacos, but they are also great on tons of other things. i like to use the pickled onions in quesadillas or on my breakfast eggs and the avocado cream is great on this delicious corn or as a salad dressing.

now, if you aren’t a crispy taco fan, by all means, skip that step and enjoy the soft tortilla. but if you like them crispy, i have a sure fire way to make the most delicious at home crunchy tacos.

crispy shrimp tacos with quick pickled onions & avocado cream

serves: 8 tacos

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 45 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp. .5 cup orange juice. .5 cup greek yogurt. .5 cup red wine vinegar. .25 cup olive oil. .25 crumbled or grated cotija cheese. 2 limes, each sliced into 6 wedges. half a ripe avocado, diced and smashed. 1 cup chopped romaine leaves. 1 green onion, white and light green parts, thinly sliced. half a red onion, thinly sliced. 1 tbs honey. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp dried turmeric. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 8 flour tortillas. 3 tbs vegetable oil or other oil wit a high smoking point. handful of cilantro leaves for garnish. large cast iron or non stick pan. tongs. paper towel or dish towel lined drying rack or baking sheet.

start by making your quick pickled onions. in a bowl, combine half the olive oil, the red wine vinegar, the honey, half the salt and pepper and stir it well to combine. add in your sliced onions and set them aside to pickle. then, combine the remaining salt and pepper with the turmeric, chili powder and cayenne and stir well to make a spice blend. dry your shrimp well and place them in a bowl. add in the green onion. season with half the spice blend, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and pour in the orange juice and the juice of 3 of the lime wedges.

stir well till the shrimp is evenly coated with spice and liquid. heat your pan over medium high heat till it’s nice and hot and then add in your shrimp. cook the shrimp until just cooked through, about 3 minutes a side. remove the shrimp to cool slightly and continue to reduce the liquid from your marinade in the pan for another 3-5 minutes till it thickens and reduces by half.

while the marinade reduce and the shrimp cools a bit, make your avocado cream. mix together the greek yogurt, the rest of the spice blend and the avocado. mash up the avocado as best you can into the greek yogurt.

pour in the juice of 3 more limes and 1 tbs of the liquid from the pickled onions. and stir well till the mixture is nice and creamy and set it aside.

roughly chop up the shrimp and pour the reduced marinade over the shrimp.

now, if you prefer a soft taco, you can skip the next step. but if you like a nice crispy taco shell, wipe out your pan and add the vegetable oil to the pan. allow it to get nice and hot, shiny but not smoking. add in one tortilla at a time. cook for about 20 seconds on one side before flipping and frying up the other side for another 20 seconds. flip the tortilla one more time and then use your tongs to fold the tortilla in half to make a taco shell. cook for 10 seconds then flip. 10 more seconds and then remove the shell to a paper towel lined rack or backing sheet to dry. set them down upside down so any extra oil drains off. complete with as many tortillas as you intend to eat at that time.

once your tortillas are crispy, layer up your tacos. serve each with a layer of romaine, shrimp, avocado cream.

top with a couple pickled onions, cilantro leaves and cotija cheese. use the remaining lime wedges for those who want a fresh squeeze of lime juice over the top. serve and enjoy.

xo, a

crispy shrimp tacos with quick pickled onions & avocado cream

serves: 8 tacos

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 45 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp. .5 cup orange juice. .5 cup greek yogurt. .5 cup red wine vinegar. .25 cup olive oil. .25 crumbled or grated cotija cheese. 2 limes, each sliced into 6 wedges. half a ripe avocado, diced and smashed. 1 cup chopped romaine leaves. 1 green onion, white and light green parts, thinly sliced. half a red onion, thinly sliced. 1 tbs honey. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp dried turmeric. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 8 flour tortillas. 3 tbs vegetable oil or other oil wit a high smoking point. handful of cilantro leaves for garnish. large cast iron or non stick pan. tongs.

start by making your quick pickled onions. in a bowl, combine half the olive oil, the red wine vinegar, the honey, half the salt and pepper and stir it well to combine. add in your sliced onions and set them aside to pickle. then, combine the remaining salt and pepper with the turmeric, chili powder and cayenne and stir well to make a spice blend. dry your shrimp well and place them in a bowl. add in the green onion. season with half the spice blend, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and pour in the orange juice and the juice of 3 of the lime wedges. stir well till the shrimp is evenly coated with spice and liquid. heat your pan over medium high heat till it’s nice and hot and then add in your shrimp. cook the shrimp until just cooked through, about 3 minutes a side. remove the shrimp to cool slightly and continue to reduce the liquid from your marinade in the pan for another 3-5 minutes till it thickens and reduces by half. while the marinade reduce and the shrimp cools a bit, make your avocado cream. mix together the greek yogurt, the rest of the spice blend and the avocado. mash up the avocado as best you can into the greek yogurt. pour in the juice of 3 more limes and 1 tbs of the liquid from the pickled onions. and stir well till the mixture is nice and creamy and set it aside. roughly chop up the shrimp and pour the reduced marinade over the shrimp. now, if you prefer a soft taco, you can skip the next step. but if you like a nice crispy taco shell, wipe out your pan and add the vegetable oil to the pan. allow it to get nice and hot, shiny but not smoking. add in one tortilla at a time. cook for about 20 seconds on one side before flipping and frying up the other side for another 20 seconds. flip the tortilla one more time and then use your tongs to fold the tortilla in half to make a taco shell. cook for 10 seconds then flip. 10 more seconds and then remove the shell to a paper towel lined rack or backing sheet to dry. set them down upside down so any extra oil drains off. complete with as many tortillas as you intend to eat at that time. once your tortillas are crispy, layer up your tacos. serve each with a layer of romaine, shrimp, avocado cream. top with a couple pickled onions, cilantro leaves and cotija cheese. use the remaining lime wedges for those who want a fresh squeeze of lime juice over the top. serve and enjoy.