Last week my diet consisted of mainly Poppy’s birthday cake… yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting…ahhhh 🙌 Oh and the 4th of July weekend wasn’t much better with the loads of apple pie bars and chocolate chip cookies consumed. So today I’m in need of a major sugar detox and hydration. This Watermelon Cucumber Salad with a Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette is just the thing to help me start the week off right.
Watermelon is the quintessential fruit of summer. It’s nearly impossible to get through three months of this warm-weather season without one meal ending with watermelon juice dripping down your arm. And somehow every single summer, I end up buying a watermelon that is way too big for 2 people. Which means, I will eat this juicy pink fruity giant at every meal of the day until it’s gone. It’s perfectly sweet, totally refreshing and wonderfully hydrating.
Watermelon has this great detox quality about it that is also really convenient. Like if you hypothetically drank too much (2.5 beers in my case) at a BBQ with friends and wake up feeling like you did in college. Watermelon. Or if you eat like 6 cookies throughout the course of a long night. Watermelon. Yep watermelon is my summer friend.
In the past, I would just eat straight watermelon. Cut into triangles or in cubes. Sweet and simple. Sometimes for breakfast I will get crazy and dollop some yogurt and springily granola. But nowadays, I am a lot more creative with my pink summer friend. One of my favorite ways to eat it, is in salads. The contrast of sweet and salty are surprisingly refreshing and totally addictive.
The first time I had a watermelon salad was at a work potluck. A coworker brought a watermelon feta salad with red onions. From that day on, my mind was opened to the endless possibilities. This salad in particular is twice as hydrating as it has cucumber, the king of hydration. Add in radishes for a little sharp edge, feta for saltiness and top it all with a cilantro lime vinaigrette for some tasty freshness.
So simple and refreshing. Next time you have a juicy watermelon, give this salad a try and I promise it will change the way you look at watermelons forever.
Watermelon Cucumber Salad with a Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
Serves 4 as a side or lunch
Notes: Because watermelon has such a high water content, this is not a salad that sits well for a long time. So if possible, try to make it and serve it right away. Otherwise the salad will get soggy.
- 4 cups watermelon, diced into cubes
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 5-7 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 cup feta, crumbled
Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients together.
For the Salad
Toss watermelon cubes, sliced cucumbers, and radishes together in a large bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over the watermelon mixture and gently toss to coat. Sprinkle the feta cheese over the salad. Serve immediately.
Originally posted 2016-07-05 12:29:28.
Leave a Reply