Labor Day Recipes - Part I

Cooking and entertaining when the weather is warm can sometimes be challenging. We don't always want to be cooking and heating up the kitchen and everyone seems to enjoy eating cool and refreshing meals. Serving easy to prepare cold salads is the way to go.

This summer I made it my mission to use as many seasonal fruits and vegetables in my meals. Here is a simple tossed salad I have been serving this summer using seasonal watermelon. It is so refreshing and you can serve it as a simple light appetizer when it's really hot and you are not ready to start your grilling. Or serve it as a side salad with the meal.

When I was looking for watermelon salad recipes I found several that included feta cheese, other fruits, and citrus dressings. That wasn't quite what I had in mind. I wanted the salad to be light so I knew I didn't want to add the cheese. I just wanted a "tossed" salad without a lot of fanfare and I thought this recipe fit the bill. And I can be sure that my vegetarian friends will enjoy it.

I used red leaf butter lettuce which is tender and has a neutral flavor so that it doesn't compete with the sweet watermelon. I added sliced radishes and honey roasted sliced almonds for crunch. This combination was a perfect balance for the sweet watermelon.


As with many of my recipes this can be changed in any way to accommodate your preferences.

Tossed Summer Salad with Watermelon
(Serves approx. 4 as a side salad)

Ingredients


• 1 head Butter Lettuce (or lettuce of choice)
  
• 3 cups cubed watermelon (approx. 1 inch cubes)
  
• 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
  
• 2-3 radishes thinly sliced
  
• 1/4 cup sliced honey roasted almonds
  
• 1-2 Tbls. olive oil
  
• 2-4 Tbls. balsamic vinegar
  
• Kosher or Sea salt and pepper
  
• Fresh mint leaves (optional)


Directions


• 1. Break the lettuce into bite size pieces and add to bowl.
  
• 2. Add the watermelon, radishes and almonds to the lettuce.
  
• 3. Blend the oil and vinegar together and then drizzle over the salad. Add the salt and pepper to taste and gently toss the salad to incorporate all the ingredients. Garnish with the fresh mint leaves if desired.

Mangia!
Winelady Cooks