If you are looking for a perfect summer salad, look no more. This Arugula Watermelon Salad is super healthy and it will make you sexier. Arugula is a powerful aphrodisiac! This salad also features feta cheese, olives, mint, and pistachios! So refreshing, so good!
Every day more and more fresh produce hits the farmers markets. People are rushing to them buying everything fresh and just from the ground. Ah, you can feel the summer is here. Yesterday, I sent my hubby (aka asked kindly) to the one of such markets to buy something for an early summer salad. I thought about radishes, green onions, spinach, maybe some strawberries… My hubby had another opinion, though. He came back with a huge bag of arugula, spinach (yay, at least one thing I guessed), mint (he loves mint tea), and… Watermelon. I believe in miracles but I didn’t think, even for a second, that it came from a local producer. It appeared that he just saw ruby-red juicy looking watermelon halves in the local shop and immediately decided that he wants it. I ate strawberries two times this year already, I want something else, he said. Well… What you gonna do? My early summer salad idea took an unexpected turn.
So, with plenty of arugula on hand, I started thinking about a new salad idea. There wasn’t too much thinking, because, obviously, it had to be arugula watermelon salad. Of course I needed more ingredients, so I added red onion, feta cheese, mint (hubby got too much of it), pistachios and olives. All topped with the reduced balsamic vinaigrette. So good! I even thanked my hubby, after tasting this heavenly salad, for buying this watermelon from the other side of the world, ha ha.
I liked it even more than this blueberry watermelon salad I made few years ago. Oh my, it has been two years already! Time flies. It’s nice that at least recipes are timeless. You make them today, you can repeat them 2, 5, 10 years later and they will still be good. Maybe my grandchildren will be munching this arugula watermelon salad someday with a smile on their faces!
I wanted to make a summer salad, I had to change my plans, but I still made a perfect summer salad! The combination of arugula and watermelon is so great. Don’t even dare to think that they don’t work with each other! One forkful of this salad will make you change your mind real quick. And… It will make you sexier! No kidding. If you didn’t know, arugula is not only super healthy, it’s also a powerful aphrodisiac, which makes you more sexually energized! Feta, onion, pistachios, and olives only make this salad even better. I am not even talking about the perfection of the reduced balsamic vinaigrette. Just go and make it already!
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 4 cups baby arugula
- 3 cups seedless watermelon , cubed
- 1/4 red onion , thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup feta cheese , crumbled
- 2 tbsp mint , chopped
- 1/4 cup pistachios , unsalted
- 12 kalamata olives , cut in half
For the reduced balsamic vinaigrette:
- 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 small garlic clove , crushed
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
The vinaigrette:
- In a small saucepan, over medium heat, add the balsamic vinegar and crushed garlic and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the sauce thickens. The texture should be syrup-like.
- Let the vinaigrette cool slightly and then pour into a jar. Add the olive oil, salt, pepper, and shake to combine.
The salad:
- In a large bowl, combine the arugula, watermelon, red onion, feta, mint, pistachios, and olives. Drizzle with the reduced balsamic vinaigrette and toss gently. Enjoy!
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