Cucumber Watermelon Salad

I poured wine this year at the Great Wine Festival in Irvine, CA. Snuck away for a quick bite of local Orange County restaurant samples throughout the festival. One sample I had that met all my requirements was a salad that included watermelon, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, basil, croutons, and a sherry vinaigrette. It was colorful, flavorful, light, and refreshing on that 90 degree day. I had the change to whip up my own version last night. Not having the time to make my own dressing, I used aged balsamic vinegar instead and left out the croutons. This is a perfect salad for any potluck, summer BBQ, or snack throughout your day.

Ingredients:

1 mini seedless watermelon, roughly 4 cups, cubed

1 cucumber, skin removed, cubed (removed seeds optional)

2 TBSP – 1/4 cup red onion (to taste), chopped

5-8 large basil leaves, stems removed, diced fine

1 – 2 TBSP aged Balsamic Vinegar or Sherry Vinaigrette

Feta cheese crumbles, add lastly (Feta is salty so remember this when adding in Kosher salt)

Kosher Salt & Ground Pepper, to taste

Optional: Croutons = try the cheese and garlic croutons from Trader Joe’s

Directions:

Dice all your fruits and vegetables and add them into a large bowl

Stir in the vinegar and sprinkle in the salt and pepper

On each plate add the feta cheese last and keep salt and pepper on the side if anyone would like additional

Notes: 

Be creative! You can add in as much of each as you desire. You might like a lot more basil than this. Make it to your taste. You really can’t go wrong with this salad!