Watermelon Strawberry Feta Salad

Sweet and savory, fruity and refreshing, this watermelon strawberry feta salad is tossed with honey and balsamic vinegar and fresh mint leaves. Don't forget the black pepper as well! 

Growing up in my home of origin, we always sprinkled salt on watermelon. Is it a Louisiana thing or maybe a southern thing? I don’t know! But I can tell you that the addition of a little salt brings out the innate sweetness of ripe watermelon and even helps the less than perfectly ripe ones taste sweeter somehow. 

Next let’s talk about the strawberries. Not something I grew up with, but there is a contingent of the general population that swears by adding freshly ground black pepper to enhance their strawberriness. Apparently, according to Google, “the piperine in black pepper neutralizes the fruit's natural acidity while elevating its inherent sweetness.” Many claim the same effect from adding a touch of balsamic vinegar.

Take all that together and that’s why I knew that salty feta cheese and aromatic black pepper would be a great addition to a fruit salad made with watermelon and strawberries and dressed with honey and balsamic. 

Watermelon Strawberry Feta Salad

This served two hungry, greedy people but if you have other dishes, it would absolutely stretch to four. That said, it’s also easily doubled AND the weight of ingredients you use is flexible. I give my amounts below as a guideline. This fruity salad is the perfect breakfast, brunch or lunch dish. 

Ingredients

8 oz or 225g strawberries, weight after hulling

10 2/3 oz or 300g watermelon, cut in chunks

Big sprig fresh mint

1 oz or 28g goat or sheep milk feta

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar

Method

After hulling, slice the strawberries in pieces. 

Give them a quick rinse and gentle spin to dry them.

Cut the watermelon into small cubes.

Pick the leaves off of the mint stem and give them a wash and spin. 

Add the watermelon and strawberries to a large bowl. 

Crumble in the feta and add the mint leaves, along with a few generous grinds of black pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and balsamic vinegar. 

Drizzle the mixture over the salad. Toss lightly to combine. 

Serve immediately at room temperature for best flavor but chill if you aren’t ready to serve right away. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes with strawberries in celebration of Pick Strawberries Day which is 20 May. Many thanks to Camilla of Culinary Cam for the theme and to Sneha from Sneha's Recipe for hosting in her stead. Check out the links below. 

• Grilled Chicken Breasts with Strawberry Butter from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Iced Strawberry Basil Hand Pies from A Messy Kitchen
• Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Strawberry Neapolitan Cookies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Strawberry Butter from Making Miracles
• Vanilla Cheesecake with Strawberry Curd Topping from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Vegan Strawberry Dream Cake - No Bake from Sneha’s Recipe
• Watermelon Strawberry Feta Salad from Food Lust People Love

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Zucchini Feta Muffins #MuffinMonday

Finely grated zucchini and crumbled feta add flavor and moisture to these tasty zucchini feta muffins. They make an excellent breakfast or snack. 

For the last several years we have enjoyed having a young couple live next door to us. Through the pandemic, the birth of their first baby girl, winter ice storms and summer hurricanes, we have supported each other. 

We were so excited for them this summer when they found a bigger house in our same neighborhood to buy but very sad for us. We miss having them next door. 

But, in better news, we have a new neighbor! She has moved into Houston to be closer to family and we are looking forward to getting to know her. Of course, I’ve already baked her some welcome cookies, but I decided perhaps she needed some muffins as well. 

Zucchini Feta Muffins 

This recipe makes 9 regular muffins. I highly recommend buying feta in brine and crumbling it yourself. I find the already crumbled feta much drier. Plus what you don't use keeps fresh in the brine for ages.

Ingredients

1 small zucchini (approximate weight after removing seeds: 120g)

1 1/2 cups or 188g flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup or 120ml milk

1 egg

4 oz or 112g crumbled feta, divided

Method

Cut the ends off of the zucchini, then cut it in half and scoop the seeds out and discard (or compost) them. 

Grate the zucchini onto a paper towel. 

Fold the paper towel over to cover the zucchini and roll it up in a cloth towel. Wring as much juice as you can out, set aside. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line 9 holes of a 12-cup muffin pan with paper muffin cases. Or use nine silicone muffin cups on a baking tray.

Separate out a small amount of the crumbled feta for topping. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and cayenne. 

And in the grated zucchini and feta. 

Use a fork to gently mix the zucchini and feta into the flour to coat. 

In another mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, egg and milk. 

Pour the wet ingredients in to the dry and fold until just combined.

Divide the batter among the muffin holes and top each with a little of the reserved feta crumbles. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch. 

Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Share some with a neighbor! 

Enjoy!

It’s the last Monday of the month so that means it’s time for Muffin Monday! Check out the lovely muffins my blogger friends are sharing today. 

• Chocolate Chip Nut Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Fruit Curd Muffins from A Messy Kitchen
• Mocha Oatmeal Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pumpkin Apple Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Zucchini Feta Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

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