Life is Like Honey: watermelon

Yes...you read that right! Watermelon on nachos!

This isn't just any watermelon though.

This is jalapeño spiced watermelon!

This creation started out as Grilled Pork Tacos from the summer 2019 edition of Magnolia Journal. I mean anything from Magnolia has to good, right?!

And boy were they good! The *easy* overnight marinade gives the pork great Asian flavor and grilling the meat gives it the classic summer twist I'm looking for this time of year. But then top it with the spiced watermelon and I'm talking about *magic in your mouth*!

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients:

1 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 1- to 11/2-lb. pork tenderloin
2 cups shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup red onion slivers
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups chopped watermelon
1 fresh jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped (be sure to wash hands well after handling)
2 to 4 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper
8 5- or 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed
or tortilla chips and shredded Mexican cheese for nachos

Directions:

Combine teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, and garlic in a large resealable plastic bag. Add pork tenderloin; seal bag. Turn bag to coat pork with marinade. Place in a shallow dish. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Prepare grill for indirect heat. Place pork on grill rack over indirect medium-high heat. Grill, covered, about 40 minutes or until 145°F. Remove from grill. Cover and let rest 5 minutes. Cut meat into bite-size strips or cubes.

Toss together cabbage, onion, and vinegar in a medium bowl. In another bowl, toss together watermelon, jalapeño, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste.

Tacos: Fill tortillas with pork, cabbage mixture, and watermelon relish.

Nachos: Spread tortilla chips on plate, sprinkle with Mexican cheese and pieces of pork. Microwave for 1 minute. Then top with Homemade Black Bean and Corn Salsa (recipe coming), cabbage mixture, and watermelon relish.

These are amazing the day of and even better the day after!

Enjoy :)

You might remember this juicy image from Facebook recently...

or maybe you remember this {Strawberry Roll} post from a while back where I promised to share with you an awesome salad when summer came around. Well, the wait has ended! Summer is here! We have already had our fair share of this delicious Watermelon-Tomato Salad and I'm excited to share it with you now.

Here is how I made it:

Watermelon-Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 shallot, minced

2 tablespoons chopped basil

2 tablespoons honey

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 large seedless watermelon

2 heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 small cucumber, sliced

feta or mozzarella cheese, cut into bite-sized cubes

Directions:

Whisk together olive oil and the next 4 ingredients to make a vinaigrette dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove rind from watermelon and slice into bite-sized cubes or wedges. Arrange in a large bowl with tomatoes, cucumber, and cheese. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss lightly. Garnish with basil if desired. Serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions:

The first night I served it with Baked Barbecue Chicken and Corn English Muffins, which are amazing if you haven't tried them! We had some salad leftover, so the second night I added feta cheese and we enjoyed it along side some turkey meatballs with marinara sauce and shaved Parmesan cheese. Then, I thought the kids would like to try the salad since they weren't with us the first two nights, so I made it again but this time with mozzarella instead of feta along with grilled turkey burgers and sausage. And I may have had it for lunch once or twice...yeah, it's that good and healthy, so what do you have to lose?!