Summer Salad

It is the first official day of summer!!! What this means is that not only will it be super hot, we will be spending more time outdoors than indoors!!! There will be trips to the beach, lots of picnics, barbecues.. what better side than an easy to put together salad!! Summer time you drink more than you eat..
Therefore salad makes for a perfect meal, be it lunch or dinner. You can make ahead and keep it and use the dressing at the last minute!You can use any kind of dressing with this one. This salad goes perfect with a basic vinaigrette as it has fresh mozzarella cheese and watermelon in it!  Sometimes I use a fruit-based vinaigrette such as raspberry vinaigrette.Actually, it is one of my favorite ones. It just adds to the flavor. Try different permutations and combinations and choose the one that works best for you..

Servings: 5-6

Prep time: 15 minsCook time: 0Total time: 15-20 mins 

Ingredients: 

Romaine lettuce: 1/2 head 

Sweet peppers: 3-4 

Persian cucumbers: 2-3, sliced thin

Cherry/grape tomatoes: 8-10 sliced into halves

Watermelon cubes: 1 cup

Bite-sized mozzarella cubes: 1 cup

Dressing of your choice on the side.

Method: 

Wash, clean and chop the lettuce into bite sized pieces. Add this to a bowl. 

Slice the peppers thinly. Add to the bowl. 

Add the tomato halves and the cucumber slices. 

Top it with watermelon cubes and mozzarella cubes. 

Serve the dressing on side. 

Once served into individual plates/bowls, just  before eating, add the desired amount of dressing. 

Mix and eat. 

Enjoy! 

Cooking made easy:

You can add sliced red or white onion, craisins, walnuts and or sunflower seeds if you wish. You can also add other fruits such as pineapple, green apple, strawberries and blueberries if you wish..

Tip for healthy living:

Use as less dressing as possible with your salad. Using a low fat dressing like a vinaigrette is much healthier than a high fat dressing like ranch or Cesar.

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

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Agua Fresca ( Watermelon lemonade)

The last few days have been unusually warm for October!! It seems like we are having a hard time leaving summer behind! Everyone at home has been looking for something cooling to drink. I had the last of the season's watermelon left, so I made Agua  Fresca. What is Agua Fresca?? In Spanish, "Agua" means water and " Fresca" means fresh. So, Agua Fresca translates to Fresh Water. This drink is popular in Mexico where it is made with fresh fruits. What I have here is basically watermelon lemonade. In case you dint feel like calling it Agua Fresca, just call it Watermelon Lemonade. I came across this refreshing, low calorie drink at a friend's place during the summer. I have been wanting to make this since then!! But every time I cut a watermelon, it is gone before I can make this drink!! When I saw the recipe on NY times, I was determined to make it. I, of course modified it slightly. You can find the original recipe here.  Finally, now, I got to make it and enjoy it!!

Once I had made it, the immediate feeling that I had was " why did I never know about this or make it before today!!" It is not only thirst quenching and refreshing, it is low in calories and a great make-ahead drink for parties!! There are so few ingredients required and you can use any kind of melon for this drink!

Try it.. You will most definitely like it!

Servings: 3-4

Prep time: 10 minsCook time: 0Total time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Peeled Watermelon cubes without seeds: 4 cups
Honey: 1 tbsp ( agave or sugar can be used instead)
Lemon juice: 2 tbsp
Mint leaves: 3-4, extra sprigs for garnish .
Lemon rings: one per glass
Water: 1 & 1/2 cups
Ice cubes/ crushed ice : 2-3cups

Method:

Blend together watermelon, lemon juice, honey and water until smooth. Strain into a jar that has 2 slices of lemon and mint leaves.

Add ice cubes to the serving glass . Pour Agua Fresca on it. Garnish with a sprig of mint, a slice of lemon and a slice of watermelon if you wish!!

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

If you don't have watermelon, no worries, you can use cantaloupe or musk melon. Of course, the taste will be slightly different, but that is the individual Melon's individuality.

Tip for healthy living:

Consuming fresh home made drinks like Agua Fresca is much better than drinking processed/ bottled drinks. You can control the quality of the ingredients and the amount of sugar that goes into it.

Food for thought:

Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later. Og Mandino