Fresh peach-n-berry summer salad

Today's recipe is a first-time creation inspired by a bit of an adventurous steak at the grocery store. The success of this mission has me thinking I may need to make this a semi-regular shopping habit when developing new recipes. In search of something new for dinner, and armed with a general idea of an asian or fruit infused salad, the plan was to create a fresh twist on a light summer favorite. While walking the aisles, the concept slowly came together one ingredient at a time. Peaches, in salad, why not? There are salads with pears and strawberries right? Which, of course, led to adding strawberries to the shopping basket. Next, while walking past more bins of vegetables it hit me, caramelized onions could work! This was either going to be amazing or disastrous but I was gaining excitement with each item selected. Before long the decision to make salad dressing instead of buying a bottle of the pre-bottled variety was made. After adding chicken and salad mix to the list I realized that maybe some nuts or a bit of crunch would be good (in the end I came away with the sunflower seeds and think it worked quite well). In order to re-create this delightful salad follow the simple directions below. With Memorial Day weekend and the dawn of summer upon us this recipe is also easily adapted to share with friends and family.

Let's get started...

First prep the home-made balsamic vinaigrette dressing, using

3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Dash of salt and pepper
Fresh squeezed lemon juice
Sugar to taste (optional - depending on the bitterness of the vinegar used)
2 strawberries (cut up and mashed with fork)

Wisk ingredients together in small bowl and set aside.

Next, prepare the peppered chicken strips:

4 tenderloins, sliced into thin strips
2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. black pepper

Cook in small amount (aprox. 1/2 tsp) vegetable oil for about 5-7 minutes over medium-high heat.
As chicken finishes cooking and begins to cool continue preparing other ingredients.

You will need:
3-4 strawberries, diced
3/4 of a small peach, thinly sliced
Handful of shelled sunflower seeds
1/2 small white onion (sautéed in 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar for about 2-3 mins)
1/2 bag of Spring mix (or other assorted greens)

Total prep time: 20-30 minutes

Toss all ingredients with a little dressing in medium bowl, plate and enjoy.

Note: if making for picnic or family gathering consider leaving the dressing on side or mixing at last minute.