Watermelon Salad with Arugula & Baked Goat Cheese

This Watermelon Salad with Arugula & Baked Goat Cheese is a refreshing salad that’s always a summer winner! Sweet and savory, healthy and so easy to make!

Happy Monday friends! I hope you all had a great weekend. Anyone try the  Bourbon-White Peach Pops from the blog last week? Well, if you didn’t don’t worry I ate one for you and boy were they tasty!

Last week was crazy busy for me. Remember I mentioned my mom was coming up from Florida? Well, she’s here! She stayed at my house for a few days and then we headed up to her house. She lives in a small town at the Jersey shore called Normandy Beach. Unfortunately, Normandy Beach and the surrounding towns were hammered by Hurricane Sandy (otherwise known as Superstorm Sandy) in 2012. Superstorm Sandy was the most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season and the second-costliest hurricane in United States history.

Even today, two and a half years later the destruction is very real. My parent’s home was one of the lucky ones. Lots of other homes were not so lucky. People are still rebuilding, roads are still being repaired, businesses are still trying to bounce back, but despite all that, memories are still being made at the beautiful Jersey Shore. Slowly but surely it will be what it once was, but for now it is so important to support those businesses that have weathered the storm and have been able to continue serving the wonderful visitors who flock to the Jersey shore looking for some summer fun!

Today’s salad is a summer staple at my house. Later in the summer all the ingredients for this salad will be Jersey fresh. If you come to visit the Jersey shore don’t forget to stop at the wonderful little farm markets to sample some of the best fruits and vegetables around.

Not sure if you guys remember me mentioning before on the blog but I was not born a salad lover. It has taken years of work. Now, I can say I really like salads. Sometimes I even order a salad instead of a nice big, juicy cheeseburger. Ok, no I don’t. That was a lie. I still go for the cheeseburger, but I can say I do LOVE certain salads and this is one of those salads. The watermelon, mint and baked goat cheese seal the deal for me. I  also love the somewhat peppery taste of the baby arugula and the tangy balsamic vinaigrette works perfectly. My mom even gave it the thumbs up last week, so hopefully you will too! Have a great week and see you back at the BHK on Thursday!

Watermelon Salad with Arugula & Baked Goat Cheese

Author: Mary Ann Dwyer

Servings: 4

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Ingredients  

• 4 oz. semisoft goat cheese
• 2 Tbsp. plain dry bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. fresh rosemary snipped
• 3 cups seedless watermelon cut into small cubes
• 3 cups baby arugula
• 3/4 cup red onion sliced thin
• 1 medium English cucumber sliced then halved
• 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans toasted
• Balsamic Vinaigrette:
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. honey

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Slice goat cheese into 8 rounds. In a small shallow bowl combine bread crumbs and rosemary. Dip both sides of the goat cheese into the mixture. Coat evenly. Place on baking sheet and bake for 6-7 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside.
• Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees. Place chopped pecans on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for 6-7 minutes until fragrant.
• In a large bowl combine watermelon, arugula, red onion, cucumber and mint. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
• For the balsamic dressing: whisk together all ingredients in small bowl.
• Remove salad from refrigerator. Pour some dressing over salad mixture, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with pecans and top each salad with two pieces of the baked goat cheese.

Course: 30 minutes