Watermelon, Feta and Arugula Salad

Photo Courtesy of sarahlynnhill.com

My dad's family used to farm watermelons in Texas back in the 1940's.  He would tell stories about melons so abundant, so sweet and so big that he and his brothers would split them open in the field, eat just the heart, and toss the rest away.  Maybe I was feeling nostalgic for my dad, but the other day as I sat waiting at a red light something compelled me to yell out to a guy selling Jersey watermelons from the back of his truck,  "Hey - are your melons any good?" Before the traffic light had turned green I had forked out $12 and had a gigantic melon (so big I could barely lift it) in my back seat.  I'm certain my dad would have approved of this beauty, after he had recovered from the sticker shock! 

Dale Cutler Moncur

Watermelon, Feta and Arugula Salad
barely adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen by Sara Forte

Serves 4
1 small watermelon
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
4 cups baby arugula
handful fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced

Cut the watermelon widthwise into 1/2-inch slabs.  Using a round biscuit or cookie cutter (about 2 1/2 inches in diameter), punch out circles from the flesh of the watermelon. Depending on the size of the watermelon, you should be able to get 3 or 4 circles from each cross section. Save the excess melon for another use.

In a small bowl, make the dressing by mashing the feta cheese with the white balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a few grinds of black pepper.

In a small bowl, toss the arugula, basil, and red onion with a few tablespoons of the feta dressing to coat.  Put some of the dressed greens on a plate and top with a watermelon round.  Drizzle a bit of dressing on the watermelon and continue stacking with alternating layers of greens, watermelon and dressing.  Finish each serving with greens on top and serve immediately. 

Notes on the recipe:  This recipe demands white balsamic vinegar, not the more assertive dark variety. If you live near a Trader Joe's, their authentic imported Greek feta elevates this recipe to another level. Their white balsamic is also my favorite. 

Red Cabbage Salad with Bacon-Balsamic Dressing

Are you planning a 4th of July cookout?  I'm not.  I'll be working this 4th of July (cue the violins, sob sob).  But if I were planning my cookout this would be on the top of the list.  This salad is fantastic - all fresh and crunchy with hints of sweet from the currants and hits of extra crunch, courtesy of the smoked almonds.  And it's pretty too. Happy 4th of July!

Red Cabbage Salad with Bacon-Balsamic Dressing
adapted from Bon Appetit


4 to 6 strips of bacon, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1/2 cup dried currants
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
1/2 cup smoked almonds, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
salt and pepper


Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add bacon and saute until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon from pan and place on a paper towel to drain.  Discard all but one tablespoon of bacon drippings.  Add shallot to remaining bacon drippings and saute about 1 minute.  Add dried currants and saute for one more minute.  Add sugar and balsamic vinegar and gently simmer for a few minutes until dressing becomes a bit thick and syrupy.  Be careful not to burn the balsamic vinegar.  Remove pan from heat and whisk in olive oil.


Pour balsamic dressing over sliced cabbage and toss to coat.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Let stand 5 to 10 minutes.  Add almonds and parsley; toss to blend.

Smoky Corn Salsa

It is corn season.  You should make this recipe with fresh corn.  Buy a half a dozen ears at the farmer's market, or pick them from your garden, or beg some from your neighbor.  Husk it.  Remove every last piece of silk so people won't think there is blond hair in your salsa.  Grill the cobs on the barbecue for a few minutes then scrape off the kernels into a big bowl.  Roast some sweet red peppers on the grill until they are black and charred.  Put them in a bowl, cover and let steam so you can peel the skins off.  Chop them up and add them to the corn.  Clean a bunch of green onions, toss with olive oil and grill them on the barbecue.  Dice those up and add them to the mix.  Proceed with the recipe.  Start early because this salsa will take you all afternoon to make.  Not interested?  Same here.  I tried it this way and it was fantastic (thank you Bon Appetit).  But let's get real.  Most of us don't have two hours to make a side dish.

So let's pretend it's January and you really want smoky corn salsa.  Buy some Bird's Eye Super Sweet Frozen Corn and a jar of fire roasted red peppers.  Proceed with the recipe and in just minutes you can have smoky corn salsa.  It's just right with grilled chicken or fish,  tortilla chips, or as a filling for burritos or quesadillas.

Smoky Corn Salsa

adapted from Bon Appetit

3-4 cups sweet corn

½ cup diced red pepper

½ cup diced roasted red pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 or 2 bunches of green onions, thinly sliced, greens discarded

1 ½ tsp. ground cumin

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

½ to 1 teaspoon (or more) adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chiles

2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

salt to taste

Place frozen corn, red pepper, roasted red pepper, lime juice, adobo sauce and cilantro in a large bowl. Let rest until corn is defrosted.

In a small skillet heat olive oil until shimmering.  Add green onions and stir until slightly softened, about one minute.  Add ground cumin and minced garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and add to corn mixture.  Stir gently to combine all ingredients.  Add salt to taste and let rest for about 30 minutes before serving.  Keeps well in the fridge for several days but is best served at room temperature. 

Notes on the recipe:

The key to the smoky flavor is the sauce from the chipotle peppers.  Add as much or as little as you like, but start slow because it's pretty hot.

Diced avocado and tomatoes are also good in this salsa, but add them in right before serving and don't plan on saving the leftovers.  Well, if there are any leftovers.  

Macadamia Coconut Crusted Chicken with Mango Jicama Salad

Finally, a recipe that isn't a baked good! I've been playing around with this salad for a couple of weeks and am pretty happy with this version.

My favorite way to serve this is to toss baby salad greens with a little dressing, mound the mango mixture of top of that and finally place the sliced chicken over the very top.

If you hate coconut, just replace it with an equal amount of panko. And if you are careful you might be able to fool your kids into thinking this is just chicken nuggets.

For those of you offended by the amount of fat in the Macaroni and Cheese, please take note that this salad dressing is very low fat.

Macadamia Coconut Crusted Chicken with Mango Jiicama Salad

Prepare salad and let rest while cooking chicken. To serve, toss baby lettuce greens with dressing, mound the mango/jicama mixture on top, slice each chicken tender into 6 or 7 slices and place atop salad.



Mango Lime Salad Dressing

1 medium mango
¼ cup rice vinegar
½ cup firmly packed cilantro
¼ red pepper, cut into large chunks
¼ cup honey
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste

Peel mango, roughly chop flesh. Place mango and all other ingredients into blender or food processor and blend until very smooth.


Mango Jicama Salad

1 red pepper
1 small jicama
2 or 3 mangoes
1 avocado
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
baby lettuce greens

Cut first four ingredients into medium dice. Add sliced green onions. Gently toss mixture with enough salad dressing to evenly coat. When ready to serve toss baby lettuce with dressing. Mound mango mixture on top



Macadamia Coconut Crusted Chicken

2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
½ cup unsalted roasted macadamia nuts
½ cup sweetened flaked coconut
½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ lbs chicken tenders
2 eggs
½ cup flour
2 or 3 tablespoons vegetable oil for sauteing

Prepare chicken: using the palm of your hand gently smash each tenderloin to an even thickness and pat dry with paper towels.

Prepare crust: place macadamia nuts and coconut in bowl of food processor. Using pulse button grind mixture to the size of large bread crumbs, about 8 or 9 pulses. Add panko and salt and pulse only long enough to incorporate all ingredients. Transfer mixture to a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl whisk eggs until smooth. Place flour in a third bowl.

Coat the bottom of a large nonstick skillet with just enough vegetable oil to cover surface. Preheat skillet.

Working one at a time, coat each tenderloin in flour, dip into egg mixture, then into crumb mixture, pressing firmly to encourage crumbs to stick.

Place chicken tenders into hot skillet, making sure to not crowd pan. (It will take several batches.) Cook several minutes until crust is nicely browned. Turn each piece, adding a little more oil if necessary. Continue cooking until second side is brown and chicken is cooked through. Remove tenders from pan and place on cooling rack while cooking next batch.

Let cooked chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Raspberry Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

This is one of our favorite salad dressings. I like to use it on a salad that includes baby romaine, goat cheese crumbles, fresh strawberries or raspberries, and sugared almonds. You can reduce the amount of oil in the dressing to about 1/4 cup and it is still good, although a bit more intense.

1 cup frozen raspberries, defrosted
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup canola oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds.

Blend the first 6 ingredients (through salt) in a blender or food processor until smooth. With the blender running, gradually add the oil and blend until smooth. Add poppy seeds and blend just enough to combine.

Apple Pecan Salad With Cinnamon Bread Croutons

This is the perfect fall salad.  Scott told me that if he ordered this in a restaurant he would feel sorry for anyone who didn't because he wouldn't share.  Next time I am going to spray the cinnamon bread cubes with cooking spray and toast them in the oven instead of sauteing them in the pan.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups cinnamon swirl bread, cut into 1" cubes

4 strips bacon, diced

1/3 cup apple juice concentrate

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

1/4 cups pecans (we prefer walnuts), chopped, toasted

2 cups apples (your favorite variety) thinly sliced

2 head butter lettuce, torn

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add bread cubes, stir to coat, and saute until toasted, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often.  Transfer croutons to a bowl and set aside, return skillet to the burner.

Saute bacon until crisp, then drain on a paper towel lined plate.  Pour off and reserve 1 tablespoon drippings.

Whisk drippings, juice concentrate, oil, vinegar, cinnamon, mustard, salt, pepper, and cayenne together in a bowl.  Stir in pecans (or walnuts).

Toss apple slices, lettuce, bacon, and croutons with vinaigrette in a large bowl to coat, sprinkle with salt.

Serve immediately.