Fun with Watermelon

Corn, blueberries, peaches - the fruits of summer are definitely sweet. Watermelon is one of the sweetest, and healthiest.

As its name suggests, watermelon is mostly water - 92% actually. Some days I find it hard to drink enough water to stay hydrated in this heat, so I eat my water instead: Water-rich foods like watermelon, cucumbers (95% water) and strawberries (91%) can help prevent fatigue and headaches caused by dehydration.

And watermelon contains lycopene, an antioxidant also found in tomatoes that may protect against heart disease and some types of cancer.

There's nothing wrong with eating a slice of plain, fresh-cut watermelon on your back steps with juice dribbling down your chin, but if you want to dress it up a little, try this recipe from Food & Wine.

The first time Topher made this, I thought it was a tomato salad, so the first bite was a sweet surprise!

Watermelon Salad with Feta & Mint

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• One 8-pound seedless watermelon, scooped into balls with a melon baller or cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks (10 cups), chilled
• 1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled (2 cups)
• 1 1/4 cups pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped (optional)
• 1 small sweet onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 cup coarsely chopped mint leaves

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, lemon juice, salt, Tabasco and pepper.
2. Add the watermelon, feta, olives and onion, and toss gently.
3. Garnish with the mint, and serve.

More ideas: Here are four more fun watermelon recipes from EatingWell.com. The NYTimes Diner's Journal suggests grilling a watermelon steak.

Note: The image above was found here.