Stone Fruit Salad

This summery stone fruit salad is made with fresh apricots, peaches, plums and cherries. Served over a bed of baby kale, quinoa, a delicious salty/sweet nut brittle and vegan feta.

We're right in the heart of stone fruit season (I've already eaten 3 super ripe peaches today!). There's no better way to use these seasonal beauties than in a summery salad.

To make this salad a complete meal, we've added cooked quinoa for plant-based protein. Plus, an addictive walnut and pumpkin seed brittle that we can't stop making!

It's perfect for a nutritious lunch or a light dinner. It also makes for a fantastic salad for entertaining. Cook the quinoa and make the brittle ahead of time for quick assembly.

Types of stone fruit

Stone fruits, as you may have guessed, get their name from the pit or "stone" (which is actually a seed) in the center of the fruit. Most stone fruits are only available for a short season and ripen once they are picked.

Pro tip: another great way to tell if stone fruit it ripe (other than squeezing it)? Give it a whiff! If it's ripe, you'll be able to tell by the fragrant, sweet smell. The more fragrant, the better.

Below are a few of our favorite stone fruits - we use them as much as possible when they're in season!

• Peaches: the three most common varieties include yellow peaches, white peaches and donut peaches. In my opinion, you can't beat a perfectly ripe yellow peach, but I will admit that donut peaches are the least messy snacking option.
• Apricots: sweet, tart apricots are smaller in size than peaches and nectarines and are perfect for baking and making jam.
• Nectarines: nectarines have a smooth skin and are a bit firmer than peaches, making them perfect for grilling, snacking, and adding to salads.
• Cherries: as a Michigan native, I'm a HUGE cherry fan. Whether you enjoy tart, sour cherries or sweet, dark cherries, they're perfect for snacking and baking.
• Plums: plums come in a variety of colors with a slightly firmer interior that holds up well to baking.

Other stone fruits include mango, lychee, pluots, dates, and coconut.

More ways to use stone fruit:

• Bourbon Peach Smash Cocktail
• Ginger Nectarine Jam via Food & Wine
• Watermelon Cherry Salad
• Apricot Oat Bars

Ingredients

This stone fruit salad is pretty easy to prepare, especially if you make the nut brittle ahead of time.

• Greens: we used a mix of baby kale and bitter radicchio. If you're not a fan of radicchio but still want a bit of that spicy bite, try arugula instead.
• Stone fruit: we used a mix of peaches, apricots, plums and cherries.
• Quinoa: feel free to sub cooked quinoa with wild or brown rice.
• Feta cheese: we used a vegan feta-style cheese in this recipe. Feel free to use regular feta, or something like burrata (would be amazing with stone fruit).
• Nut brittle: a simple walnut and pumpkin seed brittle adds texture and so much flavor to this salad. If you don't have time to make it, add in a handful of toasted walnuts and pumpkin seeds instead!
• Dressing: a simple dressing with oil, champagne or white wine vinegar, maple syrup, salt, pepper and fresh mint. Fresh basil also pairs well with stone fruit and would be a great addition.

Storage

Due to the high water content in stone fruits (and most fruits for that matter), this salad tends to get pretty soggy over time.

If you want to make ahead of time, your best bet is to store the fruit in a separate container until ready to serve. Otherwise, you can toss the greens and quinoa together ahead of time with the dressing. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

More summer salad recipes you'll love:

• Blackberry, Avocado and Arugula Salad
• Strawberry Quinoa Salad
• Roasted Beet & Berry Salad
• Avocado BLT Salad with Tofu Bacon
• Greek Chickpea Salad

If you make this stone fruit salad recipe, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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