Summer Salad

Prepare the Salad's Main Ingredients

1. Set aside a large bowl into which you can place all the ingredients.

2. Wash all of the ingredients thoroughly and then dry them.

3. Stack the spinach leaves one on top of each other. Remove the stems and cut them in 6 equal sized pieces before adding to the salad bowl.

4. Chop the cherry tomatoes and strawberries in half and add to the bowl.

5. Separate each peach in two and use a spoon to dig out the seed. Then, cut each half into fairly thin slices and throw them into the salad bowl. You can also substitute peaches with nectarines. If you have enough time, you can grill the peaches to give them an extra kick!

6. Separate each avocado in half and remove the seed. Cut a cross pattern into each half and then use a spoon to scoop the contents out of the shell and add to the salad bowl. If you don't have large Hass avocados, you can use 4 or 5 small ones instead.

7. Chop one small (or ½ a large) red onion into little square pieces and add to the bowl.

Add the Toppings

1. Make a chiffonade with the mint leaves. This is a technique where you stack the leaves, roll them tightly together, and then cut the roll very thinly to create long thin strips of mint. Add this to the bowl.

2. Add the basil leaves, as is, to the bowl. You can break them in half if they are large.

3. Add the sliced almonds and sunflower seeds to the bowl.

Prepare the Dressing

1. Prepare a container, such as a mason jar, in which you can mix the dressing.

2. Mince the 2 cloves of garlic or chop them up into very fine pieces and add them into the container.

3. Add two tablespoons of moutarde à l'ancienne, or dijon mustard.

4. Add a substantial amount of salt and pepper, to your personal liking.

5. Squeeze half a large lemon into the container, using a spoon to help get the juice out.

6. Finally, add a large amount of olive oil to the mix.

7. Close the jar and shake thoroughly. Taste the resulting dressing and adjust the proportions to your personal liking.

Serving

Wait until 20 minutes before serving to add the dressing to the salad, so that it does not appear too soggy. Once added, mix the salad very thoroughly, until the ingredients are evenly spread out. Make sure the spinach and other ingredients are well distributed, so that each spoonful contains a little bit of everything.

Serve and enjoy!