I am so mad! It was raining on Sunday, and I desperately wanted to avoid having to lug my grocery bags home in the rain. Ah, the perils of a fabulous Manhattan lifestyle! So, the starving artist, though trying to be better about pinching pennies, caved and bought lunch out on Monday. (Dos Toros, if you want to know.) So, I wrap up work later than intended (it’s ALWAYS later than intended), walked across town (my exercise plan), and went to the grocery store.
My neighbor, E, had left fresh basil on my doorknob so I knew I wanted to make something with that. But what? I remembered seeing a peach caprese appetizer on Pinterest (the recipe was from Say Yes and re-blogged on Bloglovin’), and it occurred to me I could riff off that. I decide, what if I make something like that but with nectarines instead and turn it into a more savory and filling salad by adding tomatoes?
So, I get all the ingredients, go home, wash everything, and make the salad. I’m feeling very proud of myself for adulting so successfully—brown-bagging it instead of eating out? Check! Salad instead of pasta? Check! Adding a new recipe to my repertoire? Check! Tuesday morning arrives, and I take the pre-made salad out of the fridge and place it in my bag … and then I get distracted, AND LEAVE THE SALAD BEHIND. I of course don’t realize this til I’ve already gotten on the train. There’s not enough time on my lunch break to go back for it, I won’t be home til late in the evening, and my apartment is a summer sweatbox so I don’t trust eating anything left out of the fridge for twelve+ hours. I ended up at Pret and will have to throw out the salad I put all that time and money and effort into. Sigh.
My saving grace is that I had enough to make two salads! So guess what I’ll be eating tomorrow? The salad—unless, of course, I forget it too. In that case, I might need to have my brain checked out.
Here is a salad recipe for those of us who hate lettuce.
Savory Nectarine Salad
- Wash nectarines and cut into slices
- Wash Campari tomatoes and cut into slices
- Cut fresh mozzarella into slices
- Wash the basil and use only the leaves
- Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl and enjoy!
I know, I know, for all my moaning about the work that went into it, it’s super easy to make!
I’ve thought up some alternatives:
- Add some slices of red onion
- Add a light vinaigrette or flavored olive oil
- Try peaches instead of nectarines
- Try haloumi cheese instead of mozzarella
- Try grilling the tomatoes and the nectarines
- Put the ingredients between a baguette and enjoy as a sandwich
I’m getting hungry just thinking about all the possibilities!
Want more possibilities? Check out my other recipes:
Stephanie Nikolopoulos 
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