Melon Salad with Savory Granola
Rhea's Rundown
End summer on a sweet note with this 35-minute treat of a salad. Perfectly ripe melon is dressed with a combination of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and honey, and finished off with fresh basil and granola. The recipe calls for Charentais melon, which is an heirloom melon with gray-green skin. I wasn’t able to find it at Whole Foods so I went with a Tuscan cantaloupe and honeydew instead. I also used my favorite granola (Michelle’s granola is local, organic, and made in small batches) instead of making one by hand.
Ingredients – Serves 8
- Cooking spray
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg white
- ½ cup sunflower seed kernels
- ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon honey
- 8 cups sliced Charentais melon, or cantaloupe and honeydew melons
- ½ cup torn fresh basil leaves
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; coat with cooking spray. Combine salt and egg white in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until frothy. Add sunflower seeds and next 5 ingredients (through chili powder); stir to coat. Spread mixture in an even layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes, stirring once after 10 minutes. Cool granola completely.
3. Combine oil, vinegar, and honey in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place about 1 cup melon on each of 8 small plates. Top each serving with 1 ½ teaspoons vinegar mixture, 1 ½ tablespoons granola, and 1 tablespoon basil.
“Melon Salad with Savory Granola.” Cooking Light: Summer Cookbook. Time Inc. Lifestyle Group. 2014. Print.
Rhea Torreon
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