Garden Watermelon

Hey, Lawson grew a watermelon.

Chicken, Watermelon, and Thai Basil Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Oh, wow...that salad I made up in my head earlier this week? It was good.

I made a dressing in the food processor using:

1/2 cup peanut butter
1 T sugar
juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons fresh ginger
2 T sesame oil
fish sauce to taste -- around 1/8 cup
some tiny fresh red chiles
warm water to thin to desired consistency
garlic would have been good but we were out

I marinated some chicken breasts in lime juice, salt, and vermouth, and I grilled them and sliced them. Then I cut up watermelon into bite-sized wedges and thinly sliced some red onions. I used mixed greens from the grocery store, and Lawson picked some Thai basil. The chicken was fine and a little bland, nothing fancy, but the watermelon, basil, and spicy peanut dressing really worked.

The red onions are from the farm of my friend Ken's brother. Ken and Melanie brought them to us yesterday, and they are so beautiful -- very small, and almost luminescent.

Watermelon

I didn't care about watermelon until I moved to the South. I think I'd just never been hot enough to appreciate it.

Now I love it. Plain is good, but I'm trying to think of new ways to use it. A few nights ago we had it with chile powder and lime juice, the way Mexicans serve jicama, and it was delicious. I made eggplant parmigiana for the first time, all rich and cheesy, and the spicy cool watermelon was the perfect foil.

I have created in my head a salad consisting of grilled chicken, romaine, watermelon, green onions, and spicy peanut dressing. Tomorrow I'll try to make it happen, and if it's successful, I'll post the recipe.