This delicious salad was the last of my healthy 20-minute meals that I created for Women’s Health, and also one of my favourites! I felt like today was the perfect time to share it as the sun shines again in Dubai and I’m outside overlooking the Marina craving something this sweet and yummy!

My office is my home and I very rarely get the chance to venture outside to write or catch up on work. Normally by the time you settle in with a cup of tea, it’s time for an event, meeting or session or all of the above… I guess that’s what being a new mum feels like!?

So it’s quieter days like today, when I can get out the house and dive into the blog that I completely cherish.

I’ve actually just finished writing a 5-day food plan for one of my clients and something she said to me the other day really made me think. She said….”For me, eating healthy means eating a chicken salad – which I can do for a few days but then chicken salad gets boring and I’m back at square one. I don’t know how to make healthy, fun!”.

Even for me; someone who lives and breathes creating exciting, healthy dishes can get stuck! I plan a week of dinners and find myself reverting to a few staple dishes that I know are damn tasty and great for my body! There’s nothing wrong with a little reputation but it becomes a problem when it means that eating clean is a chore…something you must carry out to ‘feel good’ rather than being something you want to do! I’m going to be creating some amazing food plans for women and men, for people just like my amazing client. If there’s anything that would really help you then feel free to share it with me!

But until they’re finished and ready to share, this salad is a great place to start to seek some healthy meal inspiration from! Bursting with sweet, juicy nectarines, chewy mozzarella and warm toasted pine nuts that all go together amazingly well! It’s utterly satisfying – it has protein, greens, sweet notes and a lovely clean, lemon and honey dressing to go with it. Perfect for a light lunch or paired with some grilled chicken or fish for an exciting dinner.

I mean….it’s got Valentines-night starter dish written all over it.

This warm grilled nectarine and mozzarella salad is the definition of an easy dish that isn’t going to cause you any hassle! After all, it was made for my 20 minute (or less) meals…and this one comes in at a winning 10 minutes! Hope you all love it and are finding some peace in your day too x

Photographs by Grace Guino for Women’s Health Middle East/ITP Publishing Group, for “Clean Meals in 20 Minutes,” Issue #18, Sept 2015

Grilled Nectarine and Mozzarella salad

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Grilled Nectarine and Mozzarella salad

Author: Lean Living Girl

Recipe type: Salads

Serves: Serves 3

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 ½ ripe nectarines, sliced.
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• 125g Mozzarella, sliced
• Large handful of fresh washed rocket
• 8 mixed cherry tomatoes
• 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbs coconut oil
• Pinch of rock sea salt.

Dressing

• 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbs honey
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Salt + Pepper to season

Instructions

1. Half the cherry tomatoes and place them in a bowl with 1 tbs of balsamic vinegar and a pinch of sea salt, set aside.
2. Heat up a pan with 1 Tbs of coconut oil. Add the pine nuts and toast for 3-4 minutes, tossing regularly, until starting to turn golden brown. Remove and set aside.
3. Place a grill pan over a med-high heat and leave with no oil for 2 minutes. Grill the sliced nectarines for 2 minutes on each side until grill marks appear and nectarines have softened.
4. Make the dressing by combining all ingredients in a bowl, stir well.
5. Place the rocket on the plate and add the sliced mozzarella followed by the nectarines. Sprinkle over the toasted pine nuts and soaked balsamic cherry tomatoes.
6. Top the salad with the dressing and serve.

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