By Debbie Adler
Sweet, Savory & Free

One of the benefits of living in Southern California is the abundance of trees that bear all sorts of succulent fruit at different times of the year. As good luck would have it, some of these trees are in my backyard. The only bad thing is that when they bear fruit, it comes in HUGE quantities very quickly. And if you don’t pick it right away, the squirrels eat it for you. So you’re left either giving out care packages to the masses or putting the fruit in everything you cook, bake, broil, and puree. When our nectarine tree bore voluminous amounts of fruit last season, I quickly went to work strategically lodging it into every edible concoction I could think of. One of the things I made was this nectarine salsa. Makes 4 cups

Must Have

• 4 ripe medium nectarines, pitted and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 ripe avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup corn, freshly cut from the cob
• 1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon coconut nectar
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Must Do

1. Mix together the nectarines, avocado, cilantro, onion, corn, serrano pepper, and garlic in a medium bowl. Add the lime juice, ginger, coconut nectar, and salt, and stir to combine.

2. Let the salsa sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight to let the flavors blend before serving. 

SERVING SIZE: 1/4 CUP 
Calories 50; Fat 2.0g; 
Protein 0.8g; 
Cholesterol 0.0g; 
Sodium 18.0mg;
Fiber 2.4g; Sugars 3.6g; 
Carbohydrate 7.5g