Grilled Peach Salad with Bacon Dijon Vinaigrette

Now that Memorial Day has come and gone grilling season is officially here! We are certainly not letting the dreaded Santa Barbara "June Gloom" get in the way of our grilling ambitions here at home...we've already dusted off the grill to host a steak taco night and recreated these Spiced Salmon Kebabs from Bon Appetit for a quick and healthy weeknight meal...highly recommended!

And speaking of healthy, there's no reason why salads shouldn't benefit from a little BBQ goodness. Salads can sometimes feel a bit obligatory, at least for me. So I always like to mix it up and include fun, creative ingredients that actually make me excited to get my greens. Adding ingredients like fruit, nuts and cheese (and yes, bacon) add that perfect touch of indulgence and can transform a salad from something that feels like of a chore to eat into something much more exciting. 

In the spirit of summer, I put my peaches on the grill to achieve a smoky sweetness. It paired beautifully with the bacon and creamy goat cheese. And in the spirit of bacon, I reserved a little of the bacon fat and used it to create a simple vinaigrette. I hope you enjoy my grilled peach salad recipe, let me know what grilled fruits you would add to a salad in the comments!

serves 2
Ingredients
3 cups fresh spinach
1/2 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1 peach, cut into quarters
2 slices bacon
2 oz. goat cheese
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp white balsamic vinaigrette
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions
1. Oil a gas grill or indoor grill pan and heat to medium high. Brush peach slices with olive oil and grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Cut each slice in half and set aside.
2. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until done, drain on paper towels and chop when cool. Reserve 2 tsp of bacon fat.
3. To make dressing, whisk dijon, honey, white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, bacon fat, salt and pepper.
4. Add spinach and shallot to a salad bowl and toss with dressing. Top with bacon, goat cheese and grilled peaches and serve.