Watermelon Mint Salad

Yup I know. I post a lot of salad content. And I’m definitely not ashamed of it. Salads are easily my favourite meals/ side dishes because there are endless possibilities to make them seriously epic tasting.

This one in particular, just screams summer. It is incredibly refreshing thanks to the watermelon and mint. Sweet from the honey dijon vinaigrette and perfectly paired with some saltiness from crumbled feta on top. If I can say one thing about feta, it is that it’s perfect for a salad topper.

Ingredients

This salad has a base of mixed greens tossed in a light vinaigrette. Then added in fresh watermelon and mint, as well as avocado, cucumber, and feta. It’s that simple!

Health

This salad contains lots of good nutritional value from all of the different ingredients.

Watermelon is 92% water, hence the name, so it’s a great way to stay hydrated through eating instead of just drinking plain old water all the time! Watermelon is a great addition to the salad, and also a great option to eat for “volume”, meaning you can eat a ton of it for only a little amount of calories. For example, an entire medium sized watermelon contains around 650 calories. That is the same amount of calories in around 6 tablespoons of peanut butter. Both are great healthy foods, just with different portion sizes and nutritional profile.

Mint provides many nutritional benefits, like containing antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. These can improve teeth and gum health.

Avocado is commonly known for being a great source of healthy fats, however they are also considered a “superfood” being one of the most nutrient dense foods you can think of. Packed with vitamins and other good stuff.

And of course, we can’t forget about the homemade dressing. Store bought salad dressings are often full of saturated fats, sugar and salt. And while there’s nothing wrong with a little in moderation, this recipe has a homemade salad dressing you can use for any salad your heart desires! By making it at home you can control what things you put in it and avoid all of the processed and unnecessary ingredients. It’s easy to make and tastes wayyy better.

Watermelon Mint Salad Recipe

Yield: 4-6 Side dishes Prep time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• Mixed greens*
• 2 c cubed watermelon
• 1 c diced cucumber
• 1 C fresh mint
• 1/3 C feta cheese
• 1 large avocado cubed

Salad dressing

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar**
• 1 1/2 tbsp whole grain dijon mustard***
• 1/2-1 tbsp maple syrup

Notes

*You can really make as little or as much salad as you want depending upon how many greens you add so it’s totally up to you how much you want.

**Rice wine vinegar can be subbed for white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar as well

***Regular dijon mustard also works for this recipe but I wouldn’t recommend regular mustard.

You can choose how much dressing you add to your salad based on your personal liking. I like just a light dressing coating the greens that isn’t overpowering the rest of the salad, so I usually have some dressing left over from this recipe that I will use the next day.

Method

1. Start by washing your greens if not done already.
2. Chop watermelon, cucumber, avocado, and mint.
3. Prep dressing by adding all ingredients to a mason jar and shaking. Add more sweetener or vinegar to your desired flavour. (But remember it’s just a background flavour)
4. Toss greens and mint with dressing and put on a large serving plate or salad bowl if you prefer. (I love putting my salads on large plates as it’s easier to load it with toppings, but do whatever you would like!
5. Top with watermelon, avocado, and cucumber.
6. Crumble feta on top. (The amount of feta is purely based upon how much or how little you want!)

Nutrition

Based on approximately one of six servings

Calories: 111 Total Fat: 7g Sodium: 55mg Carbohydrates: 9g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 5g Protein: 4g