Strawberry and nectarine salad with kale

Summer is fast approaching (can you hear all of us pale Washingtonians yelling with delight?) and that means summer fruit, lighter eating fare and bright, happy colors! This salad is a tribute to the approaching summer and is a riff on a recipe I got online. It's fast, full of flavor and just really enjoyable to eat. The star of this salad is the mint. It's so delightfully unexpected and it really brightens the whole dish. Don't skip the mint! The dressing will stretch beyond this salad, unless you like a lot of dressing on your salad. Kale can sure soak it up!

Strawberry and nectarine salad with kale
Ingredients:
1 nectarine, sliced
1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
2.5 cups kale, cut into ribbons
6 mint leaves, rolled and julienned
2 tbs sunflower seeds
2 tbs toasted walnuts or pecans (mine were a mix)

Dressing:
3 tbs olive oil
1 tbs balsamic vinegar (you could use a champagne vinegar, fruit vinegar...your choice!)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
salt and pepper

1. Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Combine the dressing ingredients. Pour as much dressing as required over the salad and mix. ENJOY!!!!