End of Summer Salad with Watermelon and Cherry Tomatoes
MAKES 4 SERVINGS • PREP TIME: 10 minutes • COOK TIME: 1 MINUTE
Languid days, firefly twilights: this salad just yearns to be made when the calendar hits July and refreshment needs to be close at hand. This quenching dish is an homage to the fruits of summer (and the herbs as well), with watermelon and tomatoes combining with mint to form its heart. Both watermelon and tomatoes are loaded with lycopene, a top-notch antioxidant that protects the brain’s high fat content. Lycopene may also play a role in the growth of the brain. A little lime juice and cilantro provide a nice high note for this salad, playing well off the slightly briny creaminess of the feta cheese. All you need is a deck and a hammock and you’ll be good to go.
2 cups watermelon, seeded and cubed
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped mint
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt or fleur de sel
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds, toasted
Combine the watermelon, tomatoes, mint, cilantro, lime juice and zest, olive oil, and black pepper in a bowl and toss lightly with a fork. Stir in the salt just before serving. Top with the feta and pumpkin seeds and serve.
STORAGE: This is best eaten the same day it’s made. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 day.
Reprinted with permission from The Healthy Mind Cookbook Copyright © 2015 by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA.