Better Home Cooking Basics: #65 Choose the Watermelon With a Yellow Spot

When picking your watermelons out this summer look for ones with a yellow or deep cream ground spot. This yellow spot marks where the melon sat on the ground & grew! It shows that it’s ripe. Spots that are light green or white are signs of under ripe melons.

After you’ve picked your melons make yourself a refreshing glass of juice or this salad.

Get more of my better home cooking basics here. 

Watermelon Juice

My sister introduced me to Num Pang a delicious Cambodian sandwich shop.  Besides having one of THE BEST shrimp sandwiches I've ever eaten they also have awesome watermelon juice, which my sister (she is in the know about a lot of things) told me how to make.  Turns out you need just 1 ingredient: watermelon. You don't need a fancy juicer, just a blender. I'm pretty sure you could do small batches in a food processor too if you didn't have a blender. I used my immersion blender.

Watermelon Salad

Ingredients:

• mixed greens
• 2 cups cubed watermelon (pink parts only!)
• 1 cup grilled corn (cut off the cob)
• 6 basil leaves cut into ribbons
• shaved parmesan cheese (use a little or a lot - your call, use a veggie peeler to shave)

Dressing:

• 1 lemon (juice + zest)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt & pepper

Over the past week I've come to realize how important it is to stay hydrated & eat my greens (read: I didn't & I paid for it spending much of my Tuesday horizontal with my eyes closed.) No worries I'm all better now! This watermelon salad is both hydrating & green-filled. Plus, it's super easy to make & a picnic-pleaser for sure.

Simply combine all the ingredients on the right in a large serving bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.  Pour the dressing around the outer-inner edge of your salad (so you don't end up with pool in the center of your salad) & toss it all together & serve immediately.

Today is my husband's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS!!! I Love You! xoxox