Watermelon, Cucumber, Arugula and Feta Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

                       

So you can take the girl out of her home and kitchen, but apparently you can't take the food blogger out of the girl. I thought I wasn't going to have anything to say or share for quite a while with this move. But I was sooo wrong. It started with a suggestion from my mom, continued through a dinner out with my family and ended up as an obsession. This recipe was one that I just couldn't shake the need to attempt on my own. 

And when I spend my free moments (miraculously I do have those- 5 hours on a plane, many long wait times for cars and shuttles, the evening hours where quiet is necessary because I'm sharing a room with my sleeping children...) trying to memorize the ingredients and work out the ratios of a salad I had for dinner one night on the road, it becomes more and more of an obsession.  I just needed the opportunity to take it from my memory to the plate. 

I was admittedly a skeptic when I first heard about this whole watermelon and feta combination. It just seemed odd in a way that I couldn't quite work out. But the rest of the food world didn't share my opinion and I had been seeing similar salads all over the blogs and Pinterest. When my mom mentioned the salad to me not that long ago, I gave her that look of "really?" but thought if she liked it, maybe I was missing something. 

Fast forward to a dinner out with my family and the salad from that dinner that I've recreated here. It was mind blowing to me how perfectly balanced the watermelon and feta were. So this is what I had been missing all along!  I will never doubt my mother or all of those other foodies out there again (ok, I still haven't been sold on the idea of Brussels sprouts yet, no matter how much bacon goes along with it). But this salad is my new favorite and I offer my thanks to whomever put these unlikely ingredients together in the first place. You are a genius. 

                          

Watermelon, Cucumber, Arugula and Feta Salad with Lime Vinaigrette 

Serves 6

For the printable recipe, click here.

I did my best to measure the ingredients in the vinaigrette, but the salad is one that you can throw together so that it tastes good to you. I've given a rough estimate of ingredients below, but feel free to amend them to your liking. 

2 large handfuls of baby arugula

1 small seedless watermelon cut into 1 inch cubes (about 5 cups)

2 medium cucumbers, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick (about 2 cups)

2-3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Zest and juice of 1 large lime (about 1 tsp zest and 3 tbs juice)

6 tbs olive oil

2 tsp honey

Salt and pepper to taste

Lay the arugula on a serving platter and top with the watermelon, cucumbers and feta. 

Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the lime zest and juice, olive oil and honey. Add a pinch of salt and crack of pepper to taste. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and serve immediately.