Wonderful Watermelon

I don't know anyone who doesn't enjoy eating watermelon on a hot, Summer day. Apart from being a wonderful thirst quencher it has a cooling effect on the body. Watermelons are part of the same family as cucumber, squash, and pumpkin. The watermelon is thought to have originated in the Kalahari Desert of Africa. They have been harvested for over 5,000 years and this was even depicted in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Early explorers used watermelons as canteens.

There are many varieties of watermelon. They come shaped round, cylindrical and now even square, seeded and seedless. Not only do they come in the normal red coloured flesh but also now with orange, yellow, pink, or white flesh. Many raw foodies prefer organic, red fleshed, watermelons with seeds, as they feel they are more nutritious than the more modern varieties.

Even though watermelons are around 90% water they are very nutritious. They are an excellent source of beta-carotene, giving an excellent supply of vitamin C and A, a very good source of B6, and a good source of vitamin B1, potassium and magnesium..Red and pink fleshed watermelons contain the red pigment lycopene. Lycopene like the beta-carotene is a potent carotenoid antioxidant. Studies have found watermelons contain up to 40% more lycopene than found in raw tomatoes.

Health wise they are excellent. The beta-carotene antioxidants in watermelon help neutralize free radicals and build the immune system. This helps in the prevention of many medical problems from asthma to heart attacks. They also alleviate some of the symptoms of  arthritis. The lycopene has been in extensive and on-going studies into its antioxidant and possible cancer-preventing properties.  

The vitamin B6, helps brain function and helps convert protein to energy and the vitamin A helps with eye health.  The potassium contained helps lower blood pressure and alleviates leg cramps. Watermelon also contains the amino acids citrulline and arginine that help maintain the arteries and heart health. On top of everything watermelon seed tea is said to alleviate bladder infections.

When purchasing, pick a watermelon with a smooth skin, free of bruises, dents and cuts. It should seem heavy in weight for it's size. It should have a light spot on the underside where it rested on the ground while ripening in the sun. To test for ripeness, slap with your hand and it should give a high pitched, not flat (under-ripe) or hollow (over-ripe) sound . They can be stored uncut for up to a week at room temperature in a dry area of the home. Wash well before cutting. Once cut, refrigerate.

Watermelon can be prepared in many ways, the flesh can be sliced, cubed or scooped into balls. Both the seeds and the rind are also edible. Although normally eaten raw they can be turned into pickles, jams and jellies. Dried watermelon slices make a sweet-like snack. A cup of diced watermelon is only 49 calories so it can be enjoyed by all.

Useful websites:

What to do with the rind? Go HERE for recipes.

How to cut a watermelon? Go HERE to watch a video and find out how.    

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Watermelon Salad with Jalapeño and Lime
From the Vegetarian Times               
Black sesame seeds add a nice colour contrast to this dish, but if you can’t find them, white sesame seeds work just as well.

3 tbsps lime juice
2 tbsps olive or avocado oil
1/8 tsp lime zest
 2 cups seedless watermelon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and sliced
1/4 cup basil or Thai basil, cut into thin strips
1 tsp black sesame seeds
1/2 tsp sea salt

Whisk together lime juice, oil and lime zest. Set aside. Place watermelon cubes in single layer in large shallow dish. Pour lime juice mixture over watermelon, and gently toss to combine. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Place 5 jalapeño rings each in 4 shallow serving bowls. Mound 1/2 cup watermelon in centre of each bowl. Divide marinade among bowls. Sprinkle with basil, sesame seeds and salt, and serve. Serves 2.  Calories per serving: 181

The Green Watermelon
By Annmarie Gianni at the Renegade Health Show  

1 cucumber
2 stalks celery
handful fresh cilantro (coriander)
3 kale leaves
small piece garlic, peeled
1 cup watermelon

First, make a juice from all of the ingredients except for the watermelon. Then, blend the juice with the watermelon. This recipe can be found in our "Smoothies for Optimal Health" book.


Watermelon Aguas Frescas (sugar-free version)
From Elana's Pantry blog - A great place for gluten-free recipes.  
A popular fruit beverage from Mexico.

2 cups watermelon, sliced into 1 inch cubes, discard rinds
1/4 cup lime juice, fresh squeezed
10 drops stevia
ice (lots)

Place watermelon, lime juice and stevia in a Vita-Mix (or other high speed blender) and purée on highest setting until liquefied. Fill 2 large glasses to the top with ice. Pour watermelon mixture over ice. Serves 2.


Grilled Watermelon and Tomato Salad
From treehugger  weekday vegetarian        

4 3/4 inch inch thick slices of seedless watermelon
4 ripe heirloom tomatoes, sliced into wedges
4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 tsps aged balsamic vinegar
8 small leaves fresh opal basil
8 small leaves of fresh green basil
Maldon sea salt, for garnish

Prepare a charcoal grill outdoors for direct grilling over high heat. Or, indoors, place a grill pan over high heat until very hot. Using a 3 1/2" / 9 cm cookie cutter, cut the watermelon flesh into four rounds. Place on the grill grates or in grill pan, directly over the heat. Grill on one side only, until grill-marked, and the melon emits a slightly smoky aroma, about 2 minutes. Transfer rounds, grill-marked sides up, to a platter. Place the tomato wedges in a large bowl and toss gently with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season to taste with kosher salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Place a watermelon slice, grill-marked side up, in the centre of each of four appetizer plates. Top each with an equal portion of tomatoes. Drizzle each salad with 1/2 tablespoon of remaining olive oil, and top each with 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar. Garnish with opal basil and green basil and a few grains of Maldon salt, and serve. Serves 4.


Sparkling Watermelon Juice
From Dr Ben Kim's wonderful health website .

8 cups of ripe watermelon chunks
12 ozs / 350 mls sparkling mineral water
ice cubes
small handful of mint leaves (optional)

Use a strong blender to purée watermelon chunks and mint leaves together. Add a few splashes of sparkling water to get things going, if necessary. Combine watermelon purée with sparkling water in a large pitcher. Chill for one hour before serving over ice cubes in tall glasses. Makes about 6 servings. Please note: This recipe is suitable for anyone on a Full Body Cleanse program.


Watermelon Rind Jelly
From the Watermelon Rind website. 

4 cups cubed watermelon rind
3 ozs / 85 gms liquid fruit pectin
2 tbsps fresh lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 1/2 cups white sugar

To begin this recipe you will first want to take out your blender and plug it in. Next add in your cubed watermelon rind, and blend it until it's a purée. Next take out a saucepan, and add in the watermelon rind puree, white sugar, lemon juice, and ground cinnamon. Moving along, place the saucepan over medium heat, and bring the contents to a boil. Stir as often as needed to keep the contents from burning. Next add in the liquid fruit pectin, and continue stirring. You will want to cook these ingredients for fifteen minutes, then remove the saucepan from the burner. Next skim off the foam, and pour the jelly mix into canning jars and seal them. Refrigerate the jelly after the jars have been opened. We hope you have enjoyed this unique recipe, please be sure to check out our many other watermelon rind based creations.


Pickled Watermelon Rind
From Martha Stewart 

1 pound / 450 gms watermelon rind (from a 3-pound piece watermelon)
3 tbsps plus 1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tbsps pickling spice
Directions

Using a vegetable peeler, peel outer skin and tough green layer from watermelon rind; cut rind into 2-by- 1/2-inch strips. In a medium saucepan, combine 5 cups water with 3 tablespoons salt; bring to a boil. Add rind. Cook at a rapid simmer over medium-high until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a heatproof bowl (reserve saucepan). In reserved saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, pickling spice, remaining teaspoon salt, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt; pour hot liquid into bowl with rind. Use a small plate to submerge rind into liquid. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a container; cover and refrigerate in liquid at least 2 hours and up to 2 weeks. Serves 8.

A Squeeze of Lime

When most people think of limes in history they think of the fact it prevented British sailors from getting scurvey due to its high vitamin C content. It also caused them to get the nickname "limeys", a term used even today. The lime originated in India and was introduced to North Africa and Spain by the Moors. Columbus introduced the lime to the Americas and later the British cultivated the trees in their West Indies colonies. Today limes are grown extensively in Mexico, Brazil and the U.S.

The lime tree is a member of the Rutaceae family. It grows well in any tropical and sub tropical area. There are two types of limes one being sweet and the other sour. Sour limes possess a greater sugar and citric acid content than lemons and have an acidic and tart taste and sweet limes lack citric acid so like their name are sweet to taste.

Nutritionally limes are a very good source of vitamin C, as mentioned before, and a good source of dietary fiber, calcium, iron and copper and they are low in sodium. They also contain the flavonoids called flavonol glycosides which have antibiotic properties and are said to stop cell division in many cancer cell lines. Due to the high vitamin C levels and antibiotic properties they are a natural way to prevent gum disease and to ease bacterial infections and colds. They are also a remedy for indigestion, heartburn, and nausea.

Purchase limes that are firm and heavy for their size. They should be be deep green in color when their flavor is at it's best. As they fully ripen they start turning yellow. They can be kept out at room temperature where they will stay fresh for up to one week and in the fridge where they will saty fresh for up to two weeks. Lime juice and zest can be frozen in ice cube trays.

As regular commercial limes are waxed to prevent bruising during transportation it is best to buy locally grown organic limes. The wax could contain various compounds like ethanol or milk casein so if organic limes unavailable be sure to discard the skin.

A staple in any kitchen, limes and lime juice are used in many marinades, salad dressings, sauces and cooking recipes. Not forgetting what a wonderful addition it is to drinks.

See my entry on lime oil and juice at "Herbs 'n Oils" also with lime home remedies and homemade beauty mixes.

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Recipes of the Day

Avocado Frappe
From the Vegetarian Times
In the Philippines, this pale green drink is made with condensed milk. Here, soy milk and a dash of fresh lime juice turn it into a lively breakfast smoothie. It’s particularly recharging after a morning workout. Asian food stores sell palm sugar, as do some supermarkets (check the Thai food section), though you can substitute brown sugar.

1/4 ripe medium avocado
3 Tbs. packed palm or light brown sugar
3/4 cup plain soy milk
4 ice cubes
2 tsp. fresh lime juice

Place all ingredients in blender. Whirl until smooth and thick. Pour into tall glass and serve.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
From the Vegetarian Times
Makes 2/3 cup
This zesty dressing is excellent on salads of all kinds or drizzled over steamed new potatoes.

2 small cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (3 to 4 limes)
3 Tbs. dark sesame oil
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 Tbs. cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. grated lime peel

With mortar and pestle or on cutting board using flat side of chef’s knife, mash garlic and salt to paste. In small bowl or glass jar with tight-fitting lid, combine garlic paste, lime juice, both oils, vinegar and mustard. Whisk or shake until well blended. Add cilantro and lime peel and mix well.

Gingery Lime Tofu Stir Fry
Recipe submitted by Colleen
Vegweb.com

1 red bell pepper
1 package of extra -firm gourmet tofu (I don't use silken with this one)
1 teaspoon salad oil
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (Asian markets carry this)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 veggie broth cube
1/4 cup warm water

Rinse, stem and seed bell pepper; trim out and discard the white stuff inside. Cut into strips about 1/4 inch wide and 2 inches long. Disolve the veggie boulon cube into 1/4 cup water. Drain tofu so its good and dry, then cut into cubes that are bite size. Pour oil into a 10-12 inch skillet (nonstick is good) over med-hi heat. After oil is hot, add bell peppers and stir until its just tender-crisp to bite, about 3 minutes. (try it out but try not to eat it all cause you'll need it later). Remove from pan and place it in a bowl. Add tofu to pan, and fry it up til its golden (add more oil if ya need too)..but like don't mush it up..well you can if you want, but I really don't know what could happen. After tofu is browned, add the 1/4 cup water/boulon combo to the pan and stir it around a little bit? With a slotted spoon, remove the tofu from the pan and add it to the peppers..(leave the juicy stuff in the pan). To the pan add the lime juice, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Cook it over a high temp til the liquid is reduced (5 or 6 minutes). Add tofu and green peppers to the pan and stir it for like 30 seconds until its all hot..wah lah! or whatever. Place a layer of fresh spinach on the plate, then take a spoonfull of brown rice and put it on the spinach , then take a generous spoonful of the tofu mixture and slop it on top.. THEN sprinkle it with cilantro..YUM its really good and it looks nice too.

Vegan Key Lime Pie
Recipe submitted by kara
Vegweb.com

2x 8 oz. containers vegan cream cheese
2 tablespoon soymilk
1 cup natural sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon grated lime peel
4 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 9inch vegan graham cracker crust
sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend cream cheese, soymilk, vegan sugar, vanilla, grated lime peel, lime juice and cornstarch until smooth. pour mixture into graham cracker crust, place on baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes. Let cool, refrigerate overnite. Top with sliced strawberries. Serves: 8

A Nice Little Book for Veggie Kids

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