Grilled Summer Salad with Apricot Poppy Seed Dressing

I love apricots!  I grew up in the small central California valley town of Patterson.  At one time, it was the world's largest producing area of apricots.  Times have changed and now almond orchards are abundant, but there are still many apricot orchards in the area. Each year I make multiple batches of apricot jam, as well as apricot pies and crisps (I currently have a box of apricots in my fridge that I am working my way through!)  Apricots have a short season and I try to get in as much of the fruit into my diet as I can while they are in-season. They are a great source of nutrition, especially Vitamin A! I recently ran across a recipe for an apricot poppyseed dressing and knew I needed to try it. We loved it.  Since making this grilled salad I also used the dressing on a spinach salad. It's summertime and we eat a lot of salads this time of year!

The salad is just a mish-mash of grilled ingredients; chicken, corn and apricot halves. To grill the apricots, I brush lightly with olive oil and grilled for just a few minutes, until they are just softened.

Grilled Summer Salad with Apricot Poppy Seed Dressing

3 apricots, pits removed
4 tablespoons sweet yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons poppyseeds

In the jar of a blender, combine the apricots, onion, olive oil, vinegar and honey.  Puree the ingredients until you have a smooth mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in the poppy seeds until fully incorporated.

To make the salad, on a bowl or platter, arrange romaine lettuce and top it with grilled chicken, grilled corn, avocado slices, and grilled apricots. Drizzle with the apricot poppy seed dressing.