The Good,The Bad And The Ugly! Grilled Peach and Spinach Salad

When I think of peaches….they are good! They are sweet and they are all things summer to me!

When I think of onions…I think bad! " I hate that smell! I know me and I know I hate fooling with them because then my hands smell bad and my house smells bad, and on and on and on…..

But have you ever mixed the two? Good and Bad can sometimes turn out to be GREAT!!! There are all kinds of analogies that I could bring into this picture but I'm not….I'm simply making a salad! And smelly red onions turn out to be a glorious tasting experience once they are grilled to perfection!

 It was DIVINE!!! Just ask Jim, Holly and Brad! And I wouldn't be sharing it with you if it truly wasn't New Orleans Restaurant Worthy! And in my book…(And yes, I do have one!) It was definitely NORW!!! 
(New Orlean's Restaurant Worthy!)

 Glorious summer peaches mixed with rebel red onions! Made for a spectacular meal!

 I guess when you throw anything on the grill, it just gets that much better!

And Jim is the master griller in our house!

( as I'm telling him exactly what to do and when to turn everything and when to throw water on the flames!)

In fact, I actually threw our okra from our garden on the grill simply because I cannot stand to waste anything and it was fabulous! Everyone ate it and everyone loved it and said it was the best they'd ever had….besides Grandmama's fried okra! I know I can't ever beat that I really don't want to! I love it!

But the main attraction was supposed to be the Blackened Mahi Sandwiches! They were so yummy!

I always do our fish in my grandmother's large cast iron skillet on the one eye we have on our grill so as not to have my house smell like fish for a week! It also allowed us to sit outside with Holly and Brad and have quite the discussions as we sat on the patio!

The best part about cooking out this meal on the grill was spending time with my precious baby girl just as we were! Even in our exercise clothes! I guess she will always be my baby girl even if she has one of her own! Some things just shouldn't change in my opinion! 

She took this picture at the last minute so I know the quality isn't great…but the fact that she loved this grilled okra meant the world to me! I'm always the only one that loves okra any way, shape, or form! I was so glad to find a new way to fix another healthy meal…and definitely a healthy green veggie!

Here are the recipes for the salad and salad dressing that we made tonight! I promise…they are delicious!

Salad

2 C torn and washed baby spinach leaves, stems removed

2 C torn and washed red leaf lettuce

4 peaches, peeled and seeded and then quartered and grilled

(grilling instructions to follow)

1/3 C crumbled feta cheese

1/3 C toasted almonds or pecans

1 large purple onion, sliced and grilled

( grilling instructions to follow)

place lettuces in a serving bowl along with toasted nuts of choice and feta cheese. Grill onions on a grill that is medium hot, and onions have been brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with a little kosher salt and pepper. Grill until charred or until desired 'doneness'.

Grill peaches pretty much the same way but just brush with a small amount of olive oil. Do not grill so much that they get mushy, they just need that yummy grill flavor!

Salad Dressing

6 T Balsamic Vinegar

2 T olive oil

2 t dijon mustard

2 t honey

1 t kosher salt

1/2 t pepper

2 shallots, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

whisk all ingredients together and cover for at least an hour before tossing with salad ingredients.

For the Fish Sandwiches

4 pieces of Tilapia or Mahi Mahi, rinsed and patted dry

1/4 stick melted light butter

Blackening Seasoning

Dip cleaned fish in melted butter on both sides and place on a platter. Sprinkle with desired amount of seasoning and place that side down in a hot cast iron skillet coated with melted butter. Sprinkle the other side with seasoning. Flip after about 2-3 minutes and cook on other side until done. Place on toasted buns with pepper jack cheese. Serve with lettuce and sliced tomatoes and tartar sauce. So, so good! 

Hope you enjoy this! It's almost the end of summer so it's time to fire up that grill for some yummy warm weather meals before we head into fall! I can't wait to get Holly and Brad moved into their wonderful first house and help them try out that grill that they love so much! I can't believe it's been in storage for 2 LONG years!
No more! Now they can begin their cooking quest for NORW meals! ( I also can't believe we really do belong to New Orleans now because of them…I never even used to want to go! Now, it only appeals to me because they've taught me to love it!) 
Oh, the things you can learn from your children!! "The from the mouths of babes" saying didn't just happen, you know! 

Happy Friday and Happy Weekend!