Peach and Almond Salad

Credit: Courtesy Breast Friends

Try this salad on its own or as a starter to a summer barbecue

Help fill your daily fruit requirements with this peach-infused summer salad

It’s best to eat your fruit rather than drinking it. Why? When you eat fresh, whole fruit, you’re getting hundreds of vitamins, minerals and biologically active substances that have general health benefits and anti-cancer effects.

When the fruit is processed into juice, it loses its fibre, peel, and many nutrients, especially juice “from concentrate” that removes water-soluble nutrients like folic acid, vitamin B5 and vitamin C. Eat 2 to 3 servings of fresh fruit each day: (1 serving equals 1 small apple or orange, or half a cup of fruit salad). Here’s an easy way to get a serving or two.

Ingredients

• 10 ounces organic spinach, washed and trimmed
• 8 large mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 cup organic gruyere cheese, grated
• 1 cup red seedless grapes, sliced in half
• 1 ½ cups fresh organic peach slices
• 1/4 cup almonds, toasted
• 1 cup plain organic yogurt
• 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne or fresh ground pepper

Instructions

1. Tear spinach into bite-sized pieces. Add mushrooms, cheese, grapes, peach slices and almonds.
2. In small mixing bowl blend together yogurt, juice, apple cider vinegar and pepper.
3. Just before you are ready to serve, toss salad with dressing. Serve on chilled plates.

Recipe courtesy of the Breast Friends Inspire Health cookbook by Breast Friends, a group of motivated Canadian women, best known for their appearances on CBC’s Dragons’ Den, who have donated nearly $1.4 million to cancer-related causes through their six national bestselling cookbooks. They recently won the “Best Charity Cookbook in North America” award at the Paris-based Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, beating out fellow nominee Michelle Obama for her cookbook. For this book’s healthy recipes, Breast Friends teamed up with InspireHealth, a world leader in integrative cancer care, which has five centres in BC that promote healthy lifestyle including nutrition, exercise, stress management and support groups along with standard medical care.