Summer is just about here, which means an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables are in season. A new favorite salad at Shark HQ is this refreshing Stacked Watermelon Arugula Salad. With our 6-days per week of curriculum in full swing for our Patriot Training Foundation military trainees, we are always looking for quick, healthy recipes to make for dinner this time of year. I’m sure you’ve seen variations of this, but ours literally takes only 5 minutes to make and presents beautifully. Pair it with a healthy protein and you’ve got a kick ass healthy meal.
Ingredients
1 Seedless Watermelon
Arugula
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Sea Salt
Coarse Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar
Roasted Salted Pistachio Nut Meats (or Pine Nuts)
- Slice the watermelon into 1″ thick rings and remove the rind; cut the larger rings in half or in quarters and plate them.
- In a small bowl, toss the arugula with a generous drizzle of olive oil, some crumbled feta cheese, and the salt and pepper.
- Stack the arugula mixture on top of the watermelon. Sprinkle a handful of nuts on top and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!
This recipe is less about specific measurements and more about flavoring the salad to your taste without going overboard on any of the ingredients (with arugula being the exception!). One serving of watermelon, which has a 92% water content, but also is high on the glycemic index, is 1 cup.
Nutritional Benefits
Watermelon
Great source of Vitamin C, Potassium, Copper and Vitamin B5 and Beta Carotene which your body turns into Vitamin A. Fresh watermelon has more lycopene (a powerful antioxidant) than tomatoes and is great for eye health.
One study even showed that watermelon juice can help decrease muscle soreness after training. In other words, train hard. Have a Watermelon Arugula Salad. Repeat.
Arugula
Arugula is a super green that is nutrient dense and low in calories. 1 cup of these peppery greens is only 5 calories! It provides loads of Vitamin A, potassium, and calcium.
