Watermelon Feta Salad

Well, hello there.  It's been a while.  Okay, a long while.  I don't really have a good excuse for abandoning my poor blog. Things started to get busy at work, and, to be honest, I enjoyed the break from blogging.  I was still cooking every night but enjoyed not taking photos of food (which I find a bit tedious...I pretty much just want to eat as soon as the food is ready!).  But after a few weeks off, it's good to be back!

The first recipe I'm going to share is one of my favorite summer salads.  I remember making this salad years ago when I first started to get interested in food and made it one night for my family.  We all loved it, including my mom who's not a fan of watermelon. The tangy feta cheese, crunchy almonds (or pine nuts) and cool, sweet watermelon work SO well together.  You can also throw some fresh mint on this salad as well which would be delicious.

While I do like arugula, I find the taste overpowering, so I usually do a combination of arugula and a mixed greens blend for the base of the salad (plus, I need to save some arugula for some delicious arugula pizza later this week, thankyouverymuch).

I served this with some spinach stuffed shells for dinner, but I think it would be excellent with something like grilled chicken or burgers and corn on the cob (a classic summer dinner!).

Watermelon Mint Salad
Taken from: Epicurious
Serves 4-6

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cups cubed (1/2 to 3/4 inch) seeded watermelon, drained (from a 2 1/2-lb piece, rind discarded)
• 6 cups (6 oz) baby arugula (I used about 2 cups of arugula and 4 cups of mixed greens instead)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (I used sliced almonds instead)
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta or ricotta salata (1 1/2 oz)
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, and salt in a large bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified (I combine everything in a jar with a good seal and then shake vigorously to combine). 
2. Add watermelon, arugula, and pine nuts/almonds to the mixed greens and toss to coat, then sprinkle with cheese and salt and pepper.