Grilled Arugula Salad with Nectarine, Onions, Bleu Cheese, and Pecans

It's not your usual burgers and hot dogs, that's for sure. I was inspired by this post. I changed a few things because I didn't have the same ingredients in my refrigerator. Kristin at Our Kitchen Sink used feta, peaches, walnuts, red onion, all arugula, and a honey/lemon vinaigrette. Mine worked out fine. It's a salad. You can get creative.

I can never find arugula in the stores in Bismarck. I grow my own. Any spicy or bitter green you like would be good with this salad. Or, just plain lettuce would work. The arugula adds a nice bite to the salad however. I used half arugula and half leafy green lettuce. I usually don't like all arugula salads. But in this case, I think I might have liked just arugula. The peppery arugula is a nice contrast to the sweet peaches. Also, I just used my trusty old grill pan instead of threading the onions and peaches on skewers.

Grilled Arugula Salad with Nectarine, Onions, Bleu Cheese, and Pecans

INGREDIENTS (for one salad)

1/2 a grilled chicken breast

1 nectarine or peach, cut in slices

3 1/4 inch slices of red onion or plain ole onion

1 to 2 T bleu cheese (or feta)

1 to 2 T pecans (or walnuts or pistachios)

chives (optional)

creamy balsamic vinaigrette

arugula

green leaf lettuce

Heat the Grill.

Chicken: Season chicken breast with salt and pepper. Cook chicken breast on oiled grates. Boneless chicken breasts take 10-12 minutes total. Turn once. Optional-baste chicken breasts with some of the balsamic vinaigrette while grilling. Cut into chunks or slices when finished.

Onion: Brush the onion slices with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the onion slices in a grill pan. Onions Take 10-12 minutes total. Flip half way through.

Peaches: Either toss nectarine slices with oil or oil the grill pan (or spray with cooking spray). When the time is right, add nectarines to the grill pan. Nectarines take 5 minutes, flipping once.

Assemble your salad with the remaining ingredients.