the summer series: salad & songs

There’s something about summer that makes everything seem so fun and exciting, even when I’m working 8-5 every day in a gray cubicle! One of my very favorite things about the warm season is the seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables. I am most definitely a seasonal eater and summer is my favorite time to plan meals. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced food boredom during the summer. Even though the summer is quickly coming to a close, I wanted to share my go to recipe for the season. It’s super easy and so tasty. It’s pretty enough to serve a crowd, but easy enough to whip up on the fly after a long day at work. I hope you love this as much as I have!

Grilled Kale and Watermelon Salad

Ingredients

SALAD

½ pound chopped kale

5 green onions

⅓ cup raw almonds

2 cups chopped watermelon

DRESSING

⅓ cup avocado or olive oil

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon juice (I used pomegranate plum this time, but have done apple in the past!)

Preparation

1. Preheat your grill to 350 degrees.

2. Wash and dry the kale and green onions.

3. Make a tin foil packet and put the almonds inside.

4. If you have a pan that can go on the grill, use that for the kale and place it on the grill. If you don’t have a pan, make a tin foil boat. Make sure that the kale is not covered or enclosed in anything to ensure it will get crispy and not steam!

5. Place the green onions on direct heat on the grill and the almond packet on indirect heat.

6. Close the grill and let cook for 5 minutes.

7. While those are on the grill, make the dressing. Place all ingredients in a mason jar and shake until combined.

8. After 5 minutes, remove the kale from the grill. It should be slightly charred. Flip the green onions and almond packet before closing the grill and cook for 5 more minutes.

9. While the onions and almonds are still on the grill, chop the watermelon into bite-sized pieces.

10. Put the kale and watermelon into a serving bowl.

11. Remove green onions and almonds from the grill. Roughly chop both green onions and almonds and then put them in the bowl with the kale and watermelon.

12. Pour the dressing over the salad and then mix to coat.

13. Enjoy!

Note: If you’re meal prepping this, it’s best to keep the grilled components separate from the watermelon and dressing until it is served.

While you’re enjoying this tasty salad, listen to the playlist I’ve been jamming to all summer. It has some older hits like The Black Key’s “Lonely Boy”, “High” by Young Rising Sons, and Young the Giant’s “My Body” but there are also some songs that were released this summer like “Nightmare” by Halsey and “Easier” by 5 Seconds of Summer. I’ll keep updating it as I add songs to my regular rotation so make sure to add it to your library and follow us on Spotify!

Let us know if you try out this salad or if there is a song I need to add to my playlist.

See y’all soon,

Molly