Watermelon Salad with Balsamic Mint Dressing & Feta

Watermelon Salad medium.jpg

This salad is great anytime but it’s especially wonderful on hot summer days.  The combination of fresh mint, balsamic and feta really brings out the sweetness of the melon.  The dressing is very versatile, and you can use other melons such as cantaloupes or honeydew and even with other fruits such as peaches or pears.  I love serving this salad as a side for grilled meat entrées; it’s a great refreshing balance.  Note: be sure to make the dressing right before serving so that the mint stays fresh.

Ingredients

4 cups 1 inch cubed seedless watermelon pieces

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 TBS balsamic vinegar

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

3 TBS extra light olive oil

1/2 tsp coarsely ground sea salt

1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

4 mint leaves cut into very thin strips

4 cups spring mix salad (or any mix of baby lettuce or micro greens)

2 TBS olive oil

Dash of sea salt

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Directions

Remove watermelon from rind and cut into 1 inch cubes and put into a large bowl.  Stack the mint leaves on top of each other and roll up into a tube shape lengthwise.  Use a sharp knife to cut into very thin strips across the tube. Then cut the strips in half.  This is a technique called Chiffonade.  In another smaller bowl whisk together the lemon juice, the vinegars, extra light olive oil, salt & pepper and finally the mint.  Pour the dressing over the melon and toss well.  In a large bowl toss together the lettuce, a couple dashes of salt and and the 2 tbs of olive oil. Divide the lettuce among 4 plates and spoon the melon on top of the lettuce.  Sprinkle with feta cheese.  Serves 4.

Strict Paleo

Omit the feta cheese