Watermelon Mania

If you’re looking to make your kids something spectacular this week, look no further than your nearest watermelon.
Not only will this juicy fruit feed you well at any of your three daily meals, it’s also capable of making some of the season’s tastiest snacks around.

The wonderful thing about watermelon (besides being loaded with awesome health benefits like antioxidants, Vitamins A, B and C, and lycopene) is that it can be eaten as is, or transformed into something sensational with the simplest of steps. I love to make watermelon popsicles, smoothies and skewers for the kids, and when entertaining a group of adults, the fruit quickly reshapes into easy appetizers and salads, leaving me free to chat with my guests.

Martha Stewart even went so far as to show us that we could all make a simple cake using nothing but watermelon. And when one ingredient can be used for breakfast, lunch, dinner and anything in between, that is indeed a very good thing.

How are you serving watermelon this summer?

Watermelon Fizz

1. Combine 1 cup of chopped watermelon, ¼ cup pink lemonade, ½ cup sparkling water and ½ cup ice in a blender and purée together.
2. Serve immediately.

Watermelon and Cucumber Cups

1. Wash your cucumber and cut 2″ chunks, hollowing out the centre with a small spoon or melon baller.
2. Fill the middle with equal parts diced watermelon and feta.
3. Drizzle olive oil over top and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Watermelon Salad

1. Combine 1 cup of each of the following: chopped heirloom tomato, cucumber, avocado and watermelon in a large salad bowl and gently toss together.
2. Dress with 3-4 Tbsp olive oil, 3-4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbsp fresh basil, and salt and pepper.

Watermelon Popsicles

1. Purée any amount of cubed watermelon in your blender or food processor.
2. Pour the purée into popsicle molds and freeze as per package directions.