Watermelon feta salad

Watermelon is to summer what football is to fall. They just go together.

And I love me some watermelon.

While shopping at Publix this weekend, I picked up a watermelon thinking it would be a yummy addition to the fruit kabobs I was planning to make. Little did I realize how much watermelon one watermelon actually contains. When I was done cutting it up (four days and one messy kitchen later) we had a TON of it.

I like watermelon a lot, but not that much.

So I used some of it tonight to make a delicious summery salad.


I first ate this on Father's Day at my parent's house. I don't know where my mom found this recipe, but I'm glad she did and that she shared it with us!

Watermelon feta salad
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
2 pounds watermelon, cut into bite size pieces
8 ounces grape tomatoes, cut in half
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar*
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups arugula greens (about 5 ounces)*
1 cup sliced red onions

Whisk oil, vinegar and salt to blend; set aside. Place arugula, onions and tomatoes in a salad bowl. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Add cheese and melon; serve.

*My mom didn't have white balsamic vinegar, so she used regular balsamic vinegar and it was just as good. We both used romaine lettuce instead of arugula. And I don't have kosher salt so I used regular salt. All these substitutions and it was still a delicious salad!

Greek turkey burgers

I stepped on the scale last week and was not happy with what I saw. Of course, with the way I've been eating lately I should have known that I would be less than pleased with the numbers on the scale, but a girl can dream.

So in an effort to shed some of this baby weight I've still got hanging around, I am trying to cook and eat healthier. I don't really have much time to read these days, what with an infant in the house and all, but while (very) quickly skimming through the latest issue of Southern Living I found a recipe for turkey burgers. We're big burger fans in our house, but I've heard mixed reviews about turkey. I've heard that they can be dry and tasteless, but this recipe looked like it might be something we (or I...) would like. Anything with feta cheese is worth a try in my book.

Patrick was skeptical. He's a traditional burger kind of guy. But he humored me and grilled them anyway. He even ate one. And liked it!

These burgers aren't dry at all (I think the cucumber sauce helps) and are packed full of flavor. I really liked them a lot - they were so tasty and different from what we usually eat. Patrick liked them, too, and said that they didn't make him feel as full and heavy as a regular hamburger.

If you're looking for an alternative to your usual hamburger, give these a try. We finished them today and will be making them again.


Greek turkey burgers
Recipe courtesy of Southern Living
1 1/3 pounds ground turkey breast
1 (4-oz.) package crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegetable cooking spray, if using a grill pan
1/2 cup grated English cucumber (I couldn't find one, so I used a regular cucumber)
1 (6-oz.) container fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 French hamburger buns, split and toasted
Toppings: lettuce leaves, tomato slices, thinly sliced cucumber
Garnish: pepperoncini salad peppers

Stir together first 6 ingredients. Shape mixture into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Heat a grill pan* over medium-high heat. Coat grill pan with cooking spray. Add patties; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Stir together cucumber, yogurt, mint, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Serve burgers on buns with cucumber sauce and desired toppings. Garnish, if desired.

*We used our gas grill and cooked them at 300-400 degrees for about 7 minutes each side.