Hello Steemians !
Today I would like to introduce you to my top summer salad recipe… Well, in fact this one is so easy I even doubt it can be called “recipe”!
One of the main reason of why I love summer can be summed up in two words: raw product.
You can basically eat any summer fruit or vegetable just chopped and seasoned. I often cook carbs and proteins during the weekend (lentils, rice, cereals, pasta), keep a stock of canned goods (chickpeas, red and white beans, pitted olives, marinated or pickled tomatoes and bell-peppers) and buy some fresh vegetables and fruits every three or four days, in small quantities so that it remains fresh. You can now throw any of those items in a plate and voilà, there you are, you and your healthy, fancy meal.
This recipe is a perfect illustration of my favorite meals: cheap, easy, tasty, with a hint of originality. It’s a kind of refreshing, super easy variation of the oh-so-well-known mozzarella and tomato salad.
This one is composed of two main ingredients: watermelon and feta cheese. And well, you basically already have your side-salad!
I love to add fruits to my salads in summer. It’s a really easy trick but it never fails to tickle your taste buds. Moreover, it’s the best way to use fruits that are not sweet enough to be eaten on their own… You’ve got to be very lucky or a real pro to always find the not-overripe, not-too-green, ready-to-be-eaten-the-day-you-planned-to fruit.
If you’re left with sour berries, greenish mango, watery melon, well, turn them into the sprinkle of magic your salads were waiting for!
On top of my watermelon and feta cheese, I add what I consider to be the base of most of summer meals (well, actually the base of ANY good meal, if you play it the Mediterranean way) : a splash of good virgin olive oil, freshly grounded black pepper, and a pinch of salt. I usually go for fleur de sel, for I feel like it has a more complex taste and texture than regular salt. Add dried or fresh herbs to your convenience and you’re done.
Here’s your quick sum-up of the ingredients:
- Watermelon (for a side salad for two, I used half a quarter of watermelon)
- Feta cheese (watch out for some may be very salty: you will want to taste before adding any salt to this salad)
- A generous tablespoon of olive oil
- Mint (basil works well with that one too!)
- Dried herbs to your liking (mine are a mix of oregano, thyme, marjoram and savory)
- A pinch of black pepper
Cut the skin of the watermelon. You will want to use a big knife for that part, but you can go roughly on the peeling: even if part of the white membrane is still on, it will not alter the taste.
Chop the watermelon in cubes, approximatively from a dice’s size. You can now chop the feta cheese, but you’d better go for half a dice’s size: as I said before, this cheese is very salty so you’ll prefer it kind of “sprinkled” on the watermelon than in big salty cubes, which will be too aggressive to the taste.
Add the oil, the herbs, and let it rest for a few minutes.
One more tip ?
The tastes of the fruit, cheese, olive oil and herbs will mix and the salt of the feta will take a bit of juice of the watermelon off, which will create a nice dressing that does not even requires vinegar of any sort!
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I hope you’ll enjoy this easy, refreshing salad! If you’d like other recipes combining fruits and salad, let me know and I’ll share some others of my favorites with you
The cake on the photo is a marvelous smoked tofu and herbs cake! I’ll share the recipe with you in a future article!
Credit photos : healthykitty
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