Use your melon

Happy Fourth of July! Several foods remind me of this lovely holiday—hot dogs, hamburgers, flag cakes and of course—watermelon!

There are few people that don’t enjoy watermelon. I personally love the bright colors and the crisp refreshment I get when I bite into a slice. But even still, there always seems to be a lot of excess fruit when the gathering is over. I’ve put together a couple ideas to put your left-over melons to good use.

1. Smoothies—as a smoothie enthusiast, please trust me when I say that watermelon is an AMAZING ingredient. The flavor is subtle and incorporates well with the other fruit and the texture and juiciness is perfect for blending. Try this combination:

1 Cup watermelon, cubed
½ Cup frozen strawberries, sliced
½ Cup frozen blueberries
½ Cup frozen bananas, sliced
¼ - ½ Cup fruit juice

2. Watermelon popsicles (for adults)—I found this fun recipe from Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network site. If there was ever an excuse to buy popsicle molds, I think this recipe might be it!

3. Watermelon salads—why should mangos be the go-to fruit in salads? Try cutting watermelon into ½-inch cubes and adding it to salads of spinach, watercress, goat cheese and toasted almonds. What a great combination of textures and flavors.

If you find yourself with lots of watermelon this summer, try one of the suggestions above or search for “watermelon recipes” on the Web. Happy Fourth of July!