Pretty Watermelon salad

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Make a pretty statement this Summer with this vibrant and refreshing watermelon salad.

I love Summer!! Everyone seems happier and the days are warmer and longer. You want to be out socialising with a cocktail or a cold beer; theres BBQ’s, picnics and get togethers. Catch ups with friends you haven’t seen in a long while.

During Summer watermelon is so sweet and juicy and is available in abundance. Although It’s delicious on It’s own, watermelon also makes for a refreshing salad!

This salad is so simple to make with only 6 ingredients. I love that you can make this in under 30 minutes. I use quinoa to make the salad more substantial but if you are just after a light refreshing salad then you can leave the grain out and you will have this salad done in 15 minutes flat! (See top picture)

What you will need for this refreshing watermelon salad

• Quinoa: (pronounced keen-wah) is a gluten-free seed which is high in fibre and protein and is a great substitute for rice and other grains. Due to Its call to fame as the new superfood Its readily available at your local supermarket.
• Watermelon: Juicy, sweet and delicious
• Mint: fresh mint is perfectly paired with watermelon
• Radishes: I love the vibrant red colour of the radish but it also provides a peppery hit to the salad.
• Feta: everything tastes better with feta right! It adds a wonderful creaminess to the salad!
• Slithered almonds to garnish and to provide some more crunch!

How to cook Quinoa

I use this method to cook quinoa and it works every time. You want light, fluffy quinoa that just pops in your mouth. You don’t want it to be undercooked and you don’t want it to be waterlogged and mushy.

-Start by rinsing your quinoa in a colander under cold water

-For 1 cup of quinoa you will need 2 cups of water or stock. I find cooking the quinoa in stock gives it a richer flavour. Place the quinoa, water (or stock) and 1 teaspoon of salt in a small pot and bring to a simmer on low-medium heat.

-When it starts to simmer, reduce heat to low, put the lid on and cook for 15 minutes without stirring.

-Remove from heat, leave the lid on and set aside for a further 15 minutes. This allows the quinoa to soak up any remaining water and it will continue to gently cook in this time.

-Lastly remove the lid and fluff up the quinoa with a fork. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool before adding to your salad.

How to prepare the watermelon salad

• Add the cooked quinoa to a large bowl
• Add diced watermelon, thinly sliced radishes and finely chopped mint. (Set aside some of the watermelon and the radishes)
• the dressing is as simple as drizzling over extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar with some pepper and then gently mixing everything through.
• Lastly sprinkle over the almonds, crumble over the feta and top with some extra watermelon, radishes and a few mint leaves.

Tips when making the watermelon salad

• Due to the high water content in the watermelon the salad is best made and served on the same day.
• You can prepare the quinoa 1-2 days ahead of time and store in an air tight container.
• There is no need to add salt to the salad as the feta provides the saltiness. Also by adding salt it will draw out the water in the watermelon and can result in a watery salad. If needed you can add salt just before serving.

Some more recipes you may like

• Tabouli salad
• Mini salmon tarts
• Tzatziki dip
• Refreshing berry punch with Prosecco
• Oven baked beef burgers

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Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Refreshing Watermelon Salad

Try this easy, sweet and refreshing watermeon salad with quinoa. Perfrect for your Summer entertaining.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: entertaining, salad, summer salad, watermelon

Servings: 8

Author: Marie Muccio

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 3 cups watermelon cubed (plus a few extra cubes set aside)
• 6 radishes thinly sliced (set aside a few slices)
• 1 small bunch fresh mint leaves picked and chopped thinly (reserve some smaller leaves for garnish)
• 300 g Greek fetta cheese
• 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbs red wine vinegar
• 2 tbs slithered almonds

Instructions

To cook the quinoa

• Place quinoa in a colander and rince under cold water.

  Place the quinoa in a small saucepan with 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to a simmer on low-medium heat. When it starts to simmer, reduce heat to low, put the lid on and cook for 15 minutes without stirring.

  Remove from heat, leave the lid on and set aside for a further 15 minutes. This allows the quinoa to soak up any remaining water and it will continue to gently cook in this time.

  Lastly remove the lid and fluff up the quinoa with a fork. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.

To assemble the salad

• Add the cooled quinoa to a large bowl along with the watermelon, radishes, mint and crumble in half the feta.
• Drizzle over the olive oil and vinegar. Season with pepper and using clean hands, gently toss together being sure not to squash the watermelon.
• Top with the extra watermelon and radishes. Crumble over the remaining feta, sprinkle over the almonds and garnish with the reserved mint leaves.

Notes

Have you made this recipe? Don’t forget to tag me in your posts @Mrsfoodiemumma and use the hashtag #mrsfoodiemumma.

 

Notes

*Due to the high water content in the watermelon the salad is best made and served on the same day.

*You can prepare the quinoa 1-2 days ahead of time and store in an air tight container.

*There is no need to add salt to the salad as the feta provides the saltiness. Also by adding salt it will draw out the water in the watermelon and can result in a watery salad. If needed you can add salt just before serving.

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