Sunday, August 31, 2014

September Recipe Club...Featuring Watermelon & Feta Salad

Where is this year going to...can you believe that it's time for another monthly reveal for Secret Recipe Club? My assigned blog this month is It's Good to Be the Cook. Beth's blog features lots of great waistline-friendly recipes, including some great salad options. Beth and I have two big things in common: we both love to dine out and travel as much as we love cooking good food in our own kitchens! I have the feeling we'd be pretty good friends in real life...especially after I saw her recipe for Watermelon & Feta Salad. Just last week, I enjoyed a salad featuring watermelon and feta at Bite restaurant here in San Antonio for Restaurant Week. It was such an amazing combination of flavors that I wanted to create something similar at home. Enter Beth's recipe...it was fate!

This recipe is a snap to put together for a quick lunch, or as part of a healthy Summer dinner. I picked up chopped watermelon at the grocery store, as well as crumbled feta cheese. I made a quick homemade balsamic vinaigrette in less than 5 minutes, so this salad is ready to eat in a flash! I made one small change to Beth's recipe. I can't eat olives or bell pepper, so I decided to add some chopped hazelnuts for a bit of crunch. This salad is so good and really easy to make!

Watermelon & Feta Salad
adapted from It's Good to Be the Cook

Ingredients (for one salad):
  • 2 cups Spring mix lettuce
  • 1 cup watermelon, cut into even-sized rectangles
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta
  • 1 tbs. finely chopped purple onion
  • Chopped mint and cilantro to taste (optional)
  • 2 tbs. chopped hazelnuts
  • Simple vinaigrette: 1 tbs. olive oil, 1 tbs. balsamic, 1 tsp. honey, and salt & pepper to taste
Directions
Step 1: Make the balsamic vinaigrette and toss it with the Spring mix, purple onion, mint, and cilantro. Arrange the greens toward the back of a serving plate. 
Step 2: Place the watermelon pieces decoratively in front of salad greens. Sprinkle the feta on top of the watermelon. Finally, sprinkled the chopped hazelnuts on top of the salad greens and watermelon-feta combo. 
See? Easy!! This salad is a great combination of flavors and textures. The sweet watermelon works perfectly with the tangy, salty feta...and the finely chopped onion provides a subtle onion flavor. The hazelnuts provide an earthy crunchiness, and everything is perfectly tied together by the sweet-tangy vinaigrette. This is one winner of a salad! If you've never thought of pairing watermelon and feta, let me assure you that the flavors are made to go together. One try, and I'm better you'll be as hooked as I am!

Wait until you see all of the great recipes that my fellow Group A Secret Recipe Club members are sharing today. You're sure to find something new to add to your must-try list!


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