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Sweet and Tangy Peachy Keen Fruit Salad with Feta

I have to admit that Girlichef and Bittman inspired me to this recipe, but the summer peaches that I was slicing up for some lacto fermented salsa were also to blame!

You see, lately, I have been “playing with my food”. What does that mean? Check in tomorrow for more on that, but I have been tasting foods plain, in their natural state and then thinking, what would WOW that? What would combine with that taste or smell or texture wise to make it explode with foodie goodness?

So, we were getting ready to go to the beach and I was slicing up a water melon to take for part of our picnic. That brought to mind Heather’s post about making Mark Bittman’s watermelon and feta salad (which is a different recipe from the Tomato and Watermelon Salad he has on page 214 of How to Cook Everything 10th edition), and how the combo had made watermelon bearable for her (crazy girl! I can’t get enough of watermelon in the summer, but isn’t that the whole point of food? There are so many choices and everyone gets to choose what they like or don’t like!). The seed was planted, but I was busy so I soldiered on.

Then I began chopping things up for the salsa. I like to do everything as much by hand as possible so I can commune with the food, and thus, it was quite a long time I was standing at my chopping board and I got hungry! Pieces of watermelon were disappearing into my mouth, and the smell of peaches drew me as well. I popped them into my mouth and the combo was divine!

That’s when it all get’s kind of hazy and before I knew it I was sitting on the front porch steps savoring an amazing salad that burst in my mouth with a beginning sweetness, tangy tartness and finally a pungent creamy salty ending. It took me less than five minutes to make and it was a struggle to make it last as long, but it was worth it to hold myself back and really enjoy the flavor combinations!

Peachy Keen Fruit Salad with Feta

Serves 4

4 Large ripe peaches

2 Cups watermelon cut into medium sized cubes and chilled

1 Tbs. fresh basil chiffonade (leaves rolled up and sliced in paper thin strips) or small bush basil leaves whole. Can use fresh oregano or thyme leaves if you prefer.

1/2  Cup crumbled feta cheese-I used sheep’s milk, but any feta will do as long as it is not too salty

1/4 Cup dark or white balsamic vinegar or your favorite flavored vinegar

Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Wash peaches well and scrub their skins. If you wish to remove the skins before making the salad, cut a small x in the bottom of the peach skin and plunge into boiling water for about 30 seconds then, using a slotted spoon, remove to a bowl of ice cold water. The skin will peel off easily. I used the peaches with the skin on, but it would be prettier without them. Remove stones from fruit and cut into medium sized chunks and place in a large bowl.

Combine the watermelon with the peaches and toss together. Sprinkle on the feta cheese and basil strips or fresh herbs and mix carefully. Drizzle on the balsamic vinegar, ground pepper to taste and finally a small amount of olive oil. Give a final toss to coat and serve immediately or place in fridge for about 30 minutes for the flavors to meld. Leaving the salad too long in the vinegar can cause the fruit to start weeping, and this isn’t a good look, though it would taste just fine.

We really enjoyed this and I will be making it again when I have more fresh peaches and watermelon! This recipe has been a part of the Two for Tuesday recipe Blog hop volume 12, My Meatless Mondays, Just Another Meatless Monday, Tuesday Twister,  Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, BBBTasty Tuesday,  and Tasty Tuesdays , so please visit the links and support other amazing real food bloggers.  You can check out previous blog hops on the Blog Hop Page and other recipes at the Featured Blog Hop Recipes Page. Enjoy!

I also want to give a special shout out to  Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at the Simply Sugar and Gluten Free Site where they are celebrating the one year anniversary of that blog carnival, so please stop in and give Amy your best sugar free wishes for continued success! She really does a great job showing folks who need to avoid sugar and gluten how wonderfully you can eat when you open up to all the OTHER delicious possibilities in food.