Guest Blogger - Grilled Peaches over Arugula with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto

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I reached out to some friends about being guest bloggers and I love what they've been coming back with. Here is a guest blog post from my dear friend Jen. She is quite possibly the best resource for me on all things Seattle related. She is also a fan of blogs, cooking, entertaining, trying new restaurants (she's in my dinner club trio), decorating, and health and wellness topics so we hit it off when we met a few years ago. I can't wait to try her recipe this weekend when we have some friends over. (Thank you Jen!)

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Guest Blogger Jen...

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Summer is sadly coming to an end and I am in denial. Did these summer months seem to go by just as quickly for you too? I feel like unconditional happiness would abound if I could always have bare legs, open toed shoes, and the feeling of the warm sun on my shoulders when I walk out of my house every morning. Sunny days just seem to balance my world – which makes me happy. My only consolation at the end of summer (and I seriously feel like I need a consolation for just the anticipation of the long rainy months ahead) are the peaches. I love juicy, ripe peaches and, thankfully, they abound here in the Pacific Northwest at the end of summer. So, while the evenings are still warm and I can enjoy the walk around my house to our BBQ in the back yard, I am making this salad as often as possible.

OK, the picture looks a little messy, but I promise you, this is a beauty of a salad. Other upsides, you ask? Well, it’s fairly easy and it’s really low in calories, amazingly (I swear, I got this out of Cooking Light magazine!). And, keeping nicely with Colleen’s (and my) efforts to keep things “Farmer’s Market Fresh,” you should be able to get all of the major ingredients at your local farmer’s market, except for maybe the prosciutto. But that’s pretty good, right?

Grilled Peaches over Arugula with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto

1/4 cup good balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
3 peaches, pitted and each cut into 6 wedges
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon good extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of kosher salt
10 cup trimmed arugula (about 10 ounces)
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1/4-inch strips
2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese (I used more because I LOVE goat cheese!)
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Bring vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer until vinegar is reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in honey. Cool to room temperature.

Prepare grill to high heat. Place peach wedges on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 30 seconds on each side or until grill marks appear but peaches are still firm. Remove from grill; set aside. (My peaches took more like a minute on each side. This depends on ripeness – just be sure to monitor your peaches!)

Combine oil, pepper, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add arugula, tossing gently to coat. Arrange arugula mixture on a platter. Top with peach wedges and prosciutto. Drizzle with balsamic syrup; sprinkle with cheese.

Servings: 6

Nutritional Information

Serving size: about 1 1/3 cups arugula mixture, 3 peach wedges, about 1/3 ounce prosciutto, 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic syrup, and 1 teaspoon cheese

Calories: 100 (36% from fat)

Fat: 4g (sat 1g,mono 2.4g,poly 0.5g)
Protein: 3.9g

Carbohydrate: 13.1g
Fiber: 1.3g

Cholesterol: 7mg
Iron: 0.8mg

Sodium: 183mg
Calcium: 61mg