Grilled Plum Spinach Salad is a delicious dish to celebrate summer plums. With only four ingredients, this plum salad is simple and easy!

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I love whipping out the grill (or in my case griddle) for foods that aren't traditionally grilled. I know it's fairly common to grill fruits, but much more common to grill vegetables or proteins. So we gotta give fruit some love on the grill!

Grilling is such a great way to use your fruits. If you're tired of eating raw fruit or just want to change up your routine, the grill is your friend.

The grill gives fruits, especially these plums, a beautifully soft texture. And a bit of char adds another layer of flavor. But of course you don't loose the sweetness of the plum. Such a tasty way to enjoy fruit!

And putting the grilled plums on a salad elevates a basic salad to something incredibly delicious, even if the salad itself is only a few ingredients. That's what's great about this salad - it only has a few ingredients but it feels a little more elegant than a regular salad.

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Why I love this plum salad

• Dietary needs — this salad is dairy-free, plant-based, oil-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free. It’s also very high in fiber.

• Quick and easy — Grilled Plum Spinach Salad is super quick! Just a couple minutes of prep for a tasty salad

• Uses fresh summer produce — take advantage of juicy fresh plums for the most flavorful salad

• Fruit in salad is fun! — eating a salad is never boring when there's fruit involved

• Great for parties — this salad is a fun and fresh option to serve at summer barbeques. I mean, you'll have the grill on anyways, right?

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Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

This salad is pretty simple. Just a few basic ingredients in the salad itself and the dressing is made of household staples.

• Spinach: spinach is an easy & healthy green to use as the base of the salad. If you're feeling creative you can switch it up with some arugula or mixed greens.

• Plums: Grab ripe, but still slightly firm plums. You want them to have some give, but if you feel like you can easily squish them open with your hand, they are probably too ripe for this recipe and might fall apart on the grill.

• Red Onion: I used red onion for the extra antioxidant benefits, but yellow or white onion would be fine too.

• Pecans: If you want you can toast the pecans in the oven or on the stove for a few minutes, to add some extra depth of flavor. You could sub walnuts or almonds if you don't have pecans.

• Vegan Feta: I don't know of any oil-free vegan fetas, so if you're looking for a completely oil-free recipe, skip the feta - the salad is still amazing. Otherwise, look for a vegan feta with minimal ingredients. You should be able to find vegan feta near the refrigerated section and/or in the vegan section of the grocery store

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Mustard Vinaigrette

• Balsamic Vinegar: This dressing is basically a balsamic-mustard vinaigrette. For the best flavor choose a high-quality balsamic.

• Mustard: Dijon mustard is preferable here, but I've made this dressing with yellow mustard and it tastes great too.

• Non-Dairy Yogurt: choose an unsweetened yogurt, preferably one with minimal ingredients - no added gums

• Maple or Date Syrup: You can use either maple or date syrup for a hint of sweetness in this dressing

• Salt

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How to make Grilled Plum Spinach Salad

Step 1. Slice the plums into eight wedges each.

Step 2. Grill 3-5 minutes per side on a non-stick griddle or lightly oiled grill.

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Step 3. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl or mason jar. Mix well.

Step 4. When the plums are done, assemble the salad. Place the plums, pecans, and onions on a bed of spinach. Drizzle with dressing. Enjoy!

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How to Grill Plums Without Oil

You don't have to use oil to grill plums, or any fruit for that matter! If you (like me) are trying to avoid ultra-processed foods like oil, you can still grill as much as you want.

The key is to make sure what you're grilling has enough natural liquid to prevent sticking. Plums are perfect for this because they are naturally juicy.

You'll want to keep a close eye on the plums, but they should easily get some nice grill marks without sticking.

If you have a non-stick griddle that you can use, that would also help prevent sticking. I did this and it worked SO well.

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Recipe Prayer

Thank you God for this salad. Help us to enjoy the fruits of summer. Amen.

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Related Recipes

Looking for other tasty plant-based summer recipes? Try these next:

• Smoked Maple Portobello Burgers
• Easy Vegan Carrot Dogs
• Plant-Based Green Goddess Burgers

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Tried this recipe?

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