Apricot and Cherry Salad with Lime-Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Stone fruits have a fleeting season, so make sure you're eating your peaches, nectarines, and apricots while the getting is good. Earlier in the month I used glazed apricots in a dessert, but this summer fruit salad is a savory - but equally delightful - application in which to use them.

Ingredients:
For the vinaigrette:

• 1/3 cup vegan sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

For the salad:

• 6 cups trimmed watercress
• 4 cups sliced apricots
• 3 cups halved and pitted cherries*

1. To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the sugar, water, lime juice, salt, and mustard in a blender; process until combined.  Add the canola oil and poppy seeds and process until blended.

2. Arrange 1 cup watercress on each of 6 plates. Top each serving with 2/3 cup apricot slices and 1/2 cup cherries.

3. Drizzle 2 tablespoons vinaigrette over each salad.

*Use your cherry pitter folks, or this could take all night.

Nutrition Info:
6 servings (1 cup watercress, 2/3 cup apricots, 1/2 cup cherries, 2 tablespoons vinaigrette), Calories 184

Tasting Notes:
All that sugar in the dressing definitely makes it sweet, but it is surprisingly well tempered by the mustard and lime juice, for a pleasing overall taste. That said, you could safely decrease the sugar to 1/4 cup if you'd prefer to use less, and I don't think you'd miss much. Either way, the sweet dressing is perfect over the peppery watercress, so don't swap out another green. My apricots tonight were just so-so, but I had the sweetest most perfect cherries ever - who needs candy when fruit is this delish?

Rating:
4