The Fregetable

The watermelon. Big, round and juicy.

Nothing says fun summer eating like it. 

But even better than fun, the watermelon is also good for you. It contains higher levels of the antioxidant lycopene than any other fresh fruit or vegetable (even more than the tomato). Also rich in vitamins C, B1, B6 and A, and an excellent hydrator (made from 92 percent water after all), it is low in fat and sodium and cholesterol free. Oh yeah, and delicious too.

And what’s a fregetable (fruit AND vegetable) anyway? Watermelon is considered a fruit as it is the ripened ovary of a seed plant but it’s also related to the cucumber and squash and planted from seedlings and cleared from the field which makes it a vegetable too. 

But back to the fun part. If the classic watermelon-eating contest is too messy for you, try these new takes on serving it up. The kids will love them and you will too, whether you think it’s a fruit or a vegetable. Full of nutrition, loaded with fun, summer yum!

• Watermelon ‘Cookies’ – cut whole seedless watermelon into ½ inch round slices and let the kids cut out shapes with their favourite cookie cutters. Then they can have even more fun ‘frosting’ their cookies with yogurt, sprinkles, raisins or other faves.
• Watermelon ‘Pizza’ – cut whole watermelon into ½ inch rounds, remove the rind and cut each disk into 6 wedges (‘pizza slices’). Let the kids complete the pizza with a ‘sauce’ of strawberry jam and ‘toppings’ of raisins, nuts and white chocolate chips
• Watermelon ‘Sno-Cones’ – Using an ice cream scoop, make balls of watermelon and freeze for 1 hour on a waxed-paper lined baking sheet. Remove from freezer, roll in vanilla yogurt, and sprinkle with sweetened coconut (if desired). Serve in an ice cream cone and let the kids decorate with sprinkles. 
• Watermelon in a Blanket – Cut watermelon into 1 inch by 8 inch sticks and blot to remove excess moisture. Sprinkle a store-bought crepe with cinnamon sugar and place a watermelon piece on it, then roll up the crepe. Serve this fun finger food with flavoured yogurt for dipping.
 

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