Watermelon!

One of my favorite summer fruits is watermelon. It’s a great afternoon snack and after-dinner treat. Here are a few recipes that incorporate watermelon:

Watermelon Agua Fresca

8 cups cubed seeded watermelon (about 6 pounds with the rind), divided
1 cup water, divided
1/3 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 liter (4 cups) club soda or seltzer water, well chilled
Lime slices for garnish

1. Combine half the watermelon, half the water and half the sugar in a blender; puree. Pour through a coarse strainer into a large container. Repeat with the remaining watermelon, water and sugar. Stir in lime juice. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 4 hours.
2. To serve, stir in club soda (or seltzer) and garnish with lime.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: 10 cups. Per cup: 64 calories; 0 g fat; 16 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber

Watermelon Salsa

3 cups finely diced seedless watermelon (about 2 1/4 pounds with the rind) (see Tip)
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (see Ingredient note)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (about 1/2 bunch)
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup minced red onion (about 1/2 small)
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Place watermelon, jalapenos, cilantro, lime juice and onion in a medium bowl; stir well to combine. Season with salt. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: 8 servings, ½ cup each. Per serving: 26 calories; 0 g fat; 7 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber

Watermelon Slush

1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
6 cups watermelon chunks (4-pound watermelon), seeded
2 tablespoons lime juice

1. Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
2. Place watermelon and lime juice in a food processor; process until smooth. Set a sieve over a large bowl and press the puree through to remove tiny seeds. Whisk in the sugar syrup.
3. Pour the watermelon mixture into a shallow metal pan and freeze until ice crystals form around the edges, about 30 minutes. Stir the ice crystals into the center of the pan and return to the freezer; repeat every 20 minutes until all the liquid is frozen.
4. Serve immediately or transfer to a storage container and let harden in the freezer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Serve in chilled dishes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: 12 servings, ½ cup each. Per serving: 56 calories; 0 g fat; 14 g carbohydrate; 0 g protein; 0 g fiber

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