Please Fave the Original Submission here.

When the summer heat gets too much, this salad will cool you down, from !

******************************

( Adapted with significant changes from an original recipe from the Food Network here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/.....ad-recipe.html )

Wuffy had a few doubts about this dish at first. Sweet, juicy watermelon with more savory ingredients like cucumbers and tomatoes? With a tart/sweet dressing touched with sesame? And CHEESE!? There are folks who cry "Heresy" at simply adding salt to their watermelon! What would they think about mixing all this together? More importantly, how would it taste?

Vrghr needn't have worried! This was amazingly good! The touch of honey in the dressing gave just the right hint of sweetness to the savory heirloom tomatoes. The cucumber's mild flavor came with a delightful crunch, to offset the soft tomato and watermelon. Each bite provided a panoply of flavor and texture, with a hint of nuttiness, savory tomato, a bit of honey sweetness, rich mellow cheese, and an explosion of refreshing, clean sugary melon!

Coupled with the sweet, but quite hot and spicy shrimp, this was the perfect pairing! The cool, refreshing watermelon quickly quenched the lingering burn of the Sriracha's heat. The crisp cucumber, tomatoes and greens provided their own delicious counterparts. And the melon quickly cleansed the pallet, to ready the guest for a new bite of the feast's flavors!

Though this combination might sound odd, wuffy strongly suggests giving it a try! It's very easy to make, and well worth enjoying!

Ingredients:

For The Salad
1 lb seedless watermelon chunks, diced to 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 English (hot house) Cucumber, quartered and chopped into 3/8" wedges
1 medium Heirloom (or garden) Tomato, sliced into small wedges
1 8 oz container crumbled feta cheese
1 large Shallot, finely minced
1 1/2 Tbs dried Mint Flakes or 1/4 cup Fresh Mint, chiffonade
~2-3 C baby Arugula or 1/2 bag Arugula/Lettuce mix

For the Vinaigrette

1 Lime, Juiced or ~3 Tbs Lime Juice
2 Tbs Olive Oil
3 tsp Honey
2-3 tsp Dijon Mustard
2 tsp Ginger Paste
1 tsp Black Sesame Oil

Directions:

For the Vinaigrette
Place all ingredients in a small bowl/cup, and whisk together vigorously.
Refrigerate for ~1 hour for flavors to meld
Whisk again just before dressing the salad.

For the Salad
Place the lettuce in a large bowl.
In a smaller bowl, add the diced tomatoes, English cucumber, and Watermelon.
Sprinkle with ~1/3 of the dried mint, and toss to combine. Repeat 2X more times tossing to combine the mint each time.
Add the melon mixture to the top of the salad.
Add the Feta cheese on top.
Refrigerate until serving time.

Whisk up the Vinaigrette and dress the salad, tossing to combine, just prior to serving.

Note: The watermelon and tomato will continue to give off liquid after dressing. So this salad doesn't "hold" well for long periods. There will be a lot of moisture in the bottom of the bowl if you keep the leftovers overnight in the 'fridge. Best eaten quickly for the meal.

Note 2: Leaving out the Feta cheese will make this qualify for Vegetarian. But there's still Honey in the dressing. Wuff's not sure how that is rated.

Makes ~6-8 servings

******************************

Allergy warning – please read all recipes carefully and be aware of any allergies or sensitivities that may affect your health and well-being