WATERMELON & ARUGULA SALAD

Summertime means watermelons – juicy, crisp watermelons.  My Daddy was a farmer and rancher.  When I was young he farmed 200 acres of watermelons.  As he got older and became more of a rancher he only farmed about 30 acres as a hobby – and also so he could enter one in the annual Watermelon Thump in Luling.  He has been gone for 23 years, and I am still proud to say that he won this festival with the biggest black diamond melon 8 times – more than anyone in its 64 year history!  So obviously I like watermelon.  This salad piqued my interest because I was grilling ribs and I wanted something cool to offset the heat from the grill.  We all really enjoyed it.  Of course the trick is to pick a ripe watermelon that is still crisp – too ripe and the texture isn’t crispy.  My mama knew how to thump a melon and pick out the perfect one.  She always said it should sound flat when it was ripe.  I have never perfected that theory and usually just look for the white spot on the bottom where the watermelon sat in the sand long enough to ripen.  Good luck in picking a good one!

8 c. cubed seedless watermelon

1 small red onion, cut into thin rings
1 c. coarsely chopped macadamia nuts or sliced almonds, toasted
1 c. fresh arugula or baby spinach
1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
3 TB canola oil
1 c. (4 oz.) crumbled blue cheese

In a large bowl, combine the watermelon and onion; cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes.  Just before serving, add the nuts and arugula to the watermelon mixture.  In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar and oil then drizzle over the salad and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with the cheese.