Ellie Prince
We’ve got watermelons in our garden just in time for summertime barbecues. Since a watermelon is about 92% water, it is the perfect hydrating fruit for hot, sunny days. You can do the old slice-and-dice routine, or get a little more creative with some of our favorite recipes below! These are easy and delicious ways to get your Vitamins A, B6, and C without the high calorie count.
Watermelon Fruit Pizza
If you’ve got some extra fruit on hand, create an easy dessert that won’t sabotage your swimsuit goals. Whip up some heavy cream and spread it on a large watermelon slice to start. Then, add any fruit you have on hand as a topper and drizzle with honey. Super easy, fresh, and delicious!
Ingredients
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons honey, divided use
1 large watermelon slice about 10 inches in diameter
1-2 small apricots, sliced
4-5 strawberries, quartered
6-8 raspberries
12-14 blueberries
sprigs of mint
Go to Bakers Royale for the full recipe and instructions.
Arugula + Watermelon Salad
Did you know? Arugula was once hailed as a natural aphrodisiac. Be sure to check out our yummy Blackberry Chèvre recipe to learn more about this enticing leafy green. Since arugula is extremely low in sugar, it’s slightly bitter taste pairs very well with fruit. You will love the mix of watermelon and Kalamata olives in this salad. Savory and sweet, with a light red wine vinegar dressing. Any Italian girl’s dream lunch come true!
Ingredients
SALAD
5 ounces arugula (about 5 cups, packed)
2 cups cubed (about 1″) pieces of seedless watermelon (from ½ of a mini watermelon, or about ¼ of a medium watermelon)
⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
⅓ cup halved Kalamata olives
VINAIGRETTE
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
Hefty pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Check out Cookie + Kate for the full recipe and instructions.
Grilled Halibut Tacos With Watermelon Salsa
Hopefully you like the spicy-sweet combinations like we do and are game to up the ante on your fish tacos! The grilled halibut has a kick to it and the fresh watermelon salsa keeps the flavors light. Throw in a couple of margaritas and you’ve got a backyard party that will soon be the talk of the town!
Ingredients
1 pound halibut
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 lime, zest and juice
1 serrano chili (or jalapeno)(optional)
kosher salt
Watermelon Salsa
2 cups seedless watermelon, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ white onion, small diced
1 serrano chili (or jalapeno), finely diced
½ cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chives
1 limes juice
kosher salt
8 corn tortillas
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
Be sure to go to Heather Christo’s blog for the full recipe and instructions.
Savoury Watermelon Salad
Did someone mention bacon? This surprisingly hearty salad is made by marinating watermelon slices overnight and then topping with bacon, feta, and red onions. A drizzle of balsamic is all that is left to make this sweet and tangy salad a success! The portions are fairly small, so they work best as an appetizer. Our suggestion is to big on the starter and then grill up something simple for the main course, if you need.
Ingredients
MARINATED WATERMELON SLICES
8-10 rectangles of watermelon (about 3×4 inches & ½ inch thick)
juice of one lemon
4 mint leaves (chopped)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ tbsp honey
SALAD
2 marinated watermelon slices
4 tsp crumbled feta
2 mint leaves (chopped) + more for garnish
½ slice cooked bacon (chopped)
few small slices of very thinly shaved red onions
balsamic vinegar
Go to BS’ In the Kitchen for full recipe and instructions.
Good For High-Protein Diets
Generally, when we’re in the season of showing more skin, we tend to start cutting carbs from our diets. The high Vitamin B6 content in watermelon is needed to help break down proteins and potassium helps balance fluids in your cells. This is a highly scientific way of telling you to add more of this sweet and tasty fruit to your diet. Girlfriend approved!