Early Summer Salad

June 9, 2016
Food,Recipes

I feel like I’m becoming more and more intentional about healthy eating these days. Having a child will do that to you, at least, that’s my excuse. Don’t get me wrong, I feel I’ve always done a good job with my diet. Of course, there’s the occasional baked good or cocktail (oh heyyy Negroni Week!!) however, you’ll find virtually no processed foods in our house. Still, it’s impossible for me not to obsess over passing along healthy eating habits to Fiona. No more week-long burrito binges. No more pizza for breakfast. 

Early summer salad with kale, arugula, watermelon and farro | HonestlyYUM (honestlyyum.com)

The ritual of cooking and eating a family meal has become particularly significant. It’s amazing to see just how excited she gets when helping Audrey and I assemble dinner. She hasn’t quite earned her sous chef status, but she can sure work the line. Recently, we’ve been all about throwing together abundant, seasonal salads – preferably with some grains or proteins in the mix. This particular salad was inspired by a recent trip to sweetgreen here in Berkeley. I have always obsessed over watermelon salads, but I also like the idea that the watermelon doesn’t have to be showcased on its own. Why not add a bit of fresh, juicy watermelon into some fresh greens and such? Yeah, I’m hooked. Fiona is too.

Early summer salad with kale, arugula, watermelon and farro | HonestlyYUM (honestlyyum.com)

Early summer salad with kale, arugula, watermelon and farro | HonestlyYUM (honestlyyum.com)

Early summer salad with kale, arugula, watermelon and farro | HonestlyYUM (honestlyyum.com)

Early Summer Salad

A wonderful summer salad filled with hearty farro, spicy sunflower seeds, sweet watermelon, and dressed with a simple red wine vinaigrette
Servings: 2-4 people

INGREDIENTS

For the salad

For the dressing

For the spiced sunflower seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

 For the spiced sunflower seeds

  1. Use a few drops of water to lightly wet the raw sunflower seeds and spread them out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the spices and salt on the seeds and place in the oven at 325°F oven for ~10 minutes. Let cool.

For the dressing

  1. Whisk together vinegar, green onion, and sugar. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, continuing to whisk. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For the salad

  1. In a bowl, coat the watermelon with lime juice, then combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Add dressing as desired (you will probably have dressing left over). Store leftover dressing in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

(images by HonestlyYUM)

Conversation

This looks AMAZING. So summery and I love how you used watermelon as part of the salad instead of the usual star-of-the-show. Can’t wait to make this, thanks for sharing. xx

I love sweetgreen, but unfortunately we don’t have nearby! :/ I’ll definitely be making this salad soon though — it looks incredible.

I love everything about this salad and would eat it every day! So gorgeous, so many flavors, pinned and want it!

Thank you Averie!! Means a lot coming from you 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.

We have also been eating more healthy fare at my house of late, and this salad looks perfect for a warm evening. I think I’ll be making this this coming weekend. Yum!!

I have to make this summer salad! It looks so fresh, vibrant and delicious. You can tell how good it is for you just by looking at the images!

im so happy you all are enjoying salad- family style 🙂 also, how can you resist bountiful summer produce right? im loving this bowl with all the food groups together. pinning it right away.

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