Here in Georgia, peaches and pecans are two wonderful ingredients that are both plentiful and sure to be found in the kitchen of many home cooks. In there rural area where I live there are many farms and pecan orchards. During the spring and summer months, I love nothing more than a colorful salad loaded up with crisp fresh fruit, and topped with crunchy pecans and a homemade citrus vinaigrette. Today’s recipe for Peach, Pecan and Goat Cheese Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette is sponsored by Sahale Snacks of The J.M. Smucker Company.

I really enjoy adding a bit of crunch to my salads with ingredients like crisp apple slices and nuts. The Nut Mixes from Sahale Snacks are perfect for sprinkling over your spring and summer salads, and this Georgia girl is a huge fan of the Valdosta Pecans Glazed Mix.

It’s a classic taste of the south with delicious black-peppered pecans, sweet cranberries, and a just a pinch of orange zest. I also like adding dried cranberries to my salads, and love how this nut blend has both the pecans and cranberries. So much goodness.

Spring is definitely near. I was so excited to find so many beautiful strawberries, peaches and oranges in the grocery store last week, and at a reasonable price. So often what I find in the produce department inspires my menu for the week.

This simple salad is made with a spring mix of greens, and is tossed with some thinly sliced red onion and apples. Some sliced sweet peaches, crumbled goat cheese and a fresh citrus vinaigrette finish it off.

If I have a few extra minutes to spare, I do like to make my own dressing. This zesty house dressing is one of my favorite creamy dressings to make, but a light vinaigrette seemed perfect for this early season salad.

When making this dressing I realized that I needed to add a little more citrus to it, so it ended up almost filling the jar. There’s nothing wrong with having a little left over for tomorrow’s salad. It should keep in the fridge for a few days, so no worries if you end up with a bit extra.

Peach, Pecan and Goat Cheese Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
5 to 7 ounces of spring mix or arugula
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 apples thinly sliced, one sweet and one tart
2 peaches, sliced
6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1 (4 ounce bag) Sahale Snacks Valdosta Pecans Glaze Mix

Citrus Vinaigrette:
1 small shallot, minced
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup champagne vinegar. (you can substitute white vinegar)
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 2 medium-size oranges
2 tablespoons sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

To prepare the salad dressing, place all ingredients into a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until well combined. You may need more or less of the citrus juice. Just taste as you go along until you have the right balance of sweetness. If your oranges are very sweet, you may only need one teaspoon of sugar.

For the salad, mix all ingredients in a large bowl and toss with some of the citrus vinaigrette.

The Valdosta Pecans from Sahale had some influence over my other salad ingredients. I couldn’t resist that combo of pecans and peaches. My local Walmart has a display of Sahale Snacks conveniently located right in the produce department.

Sahale Snacks aren’t just for recipes. They have a wonderful variety or products that are great for snacking. If you’re not sure where to find Sahale Snacks, use this handy store locator. You can also connect with Sahale on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

What are some of your favorite salad ingredients?