The “theme” this week is Watermelon! I wondered how many different kinds of things you could make with watermelon. The recipe that really got me thinking about watermelon was one that was sent to me by email called Watermelon Sipper. It sounded really good so I thought some of you might like to try it.
Watermelon Sipper
6 cups watermelon, seeded, cut into chunks
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup sugar
6-8 oz. ginger beer
Fresh mint sprigs
This recipe calls for ginger beer, a carbonated, usually non-alcoholic beverage similar to ginger ale, but with more “bite”. Its spiciness is due to a substantial amount of ginger. Find ginger beer alongside other drink mixers (such as club soda) at specialty food stores and some grocery stores.
Puree watermelon, lime juice, and sugar in a blender or food processor. Pour into two ice cube trays and freeze solid. Place 3 or 4 watermelon cubes into each serving glass.
Pour ginger beer over the cubes.
Garnish each drink with a sprig of fresh mint.
Watermelon Sorbet with Chocolate Seeds
a 3 1/2-to 4-pound piece of watermelon (about a quarter of a large watermelon that has been halved lengthwise and crosswise)
1 1/2 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Sambuca or other anise-flavored liqueur if desired
Cut watermelon into 1-inch-thick semi-circular slices and chop flesh coarse, reserving rind.
Arrange reserved watermelon rind slices on their sides on foil-lined baking sheets and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze rinds until frozen hard, about 2 hours.
Line another baking sheet or a tray with parchment or wax paper. In a small bowl set over a small saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate and remove from heat. Transfer chocolate to a small resealable bag and seal bag. Snip off tip of one corner of bag to form a tiny hole and onto prepared baking sheet or tray pipe and spread chocolate into 1/3- to 1/2-inch ovals to resemble watermelon seeds. Freeze chocolate “seeds” on baking sheet until very firm, about 30 minutes. Working quickly, peel “seeds” from paper into another small bowl and keep frozen.
Discard real seeds from watermelon to yield 5 cups. In a saucepan heat 1 cup purée with sugar over moderate heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and stir into remaining purée with lime juice and liqueur. Chill mixture, covered, until cold.
Freeze sorbet in an ice-cream maker. When sorbet is frozen to a thick slush add three fourths of chocolate “seeds” and continue to freeze until frozen.
Working quickly, fill frozen watermelon rinds with sorbet, smoothing it with a rubber spatula. Arrange remaining chocolate “seeds” realistically on slices and smooth sorbet again. Cover sorbet with plastic wrap and freeze until very firm, about 6 hours. (Watermelon sorbet slices may be made 3 days ahead and kept frozen, wrapped tightly).
Chopped Veggie Salad With Watermelon & Feta Cheese
This type of chopped salad was once common breakfast fare in Israel. Makes 4 servings
1 pound Campari or plum tomatoes, diced, drained
1 1/2 cups diced seeded watermelon
1 large green bell pepper, seeded, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1/2 large English hothouse cucumber, seeded, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1/2 cup very thinly sliced radishes
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
10 ounces feta cheese, broken into small cubes (about 2 1/2 cups), divided
2 green onions, chopped, divided
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh mint leaves, divided
1/2 cup plain Greek-style yogurt*
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Toss first 5 ingredients and 2 tablespoons oil in large bowl. Add half each of cheese, green onions, and mint. Mix remaining cheese, green onions, mint, and oil in processor; add yogurt and oregano. Process just to blend (do not over-mix or dressing will get thin). Season dressing with salt and pepper; mix into salad.
*A thick yogurt; sold at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores (such as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Markets) and Greek markets. If unavailable, place regular yogurt in cheesecloth-lined strainer set over large bowl. Cover and chill overnight to drain.
Ingredient tip: Campari tomatoes are about the size and shape of golf balls. They’re sold on the vine, and they’re available at many supermarkets.
Watermelon Donuts
Fun Watermelon slices shaped like donuts
Sour cream
Powdered Sugar to taste
Vanilla to taste
Slivered almonds
Cut out donut shapes from 1 1/2-inch thick slices of seedless watermelon. Sweeten sour cream with sugar and a touch of vanilla to taste. Frost half of the watermelon donut slices and sprinkle with almonds. Add another layer of watermelon slices and top with sweetened sour cream. Sprinkle toasted slivered almonds and serve.

Watermelon Margarita
1 1/2 ounces Tequila
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/4 ounce agave nectar
1 slice watermelon
Muddle watermelon and agave syrup, add rest of ingredients and shake well.
Double strain into a frozen martini glass.
Garnish with a watermelon slice.

Watermelon Banana Split
A Healthy Twist to an Old Favorite
2 bananas
1 medium watermelon
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/4 cup caramel fruit dip
1/4 cup honey roasted almonds
Peel bananas and cut in half lengthwise then cut each piece in half. For each serving, lay 2 banana pieces against sides of shallow dish. Using an ice cream scooper, place three watermelon “scoops” in between each banana in each dish. Remove seeds if necessary. Top each watermelon “scoop” with a different fruit topping. Drizzle caramel fruit dip over all. Sprinkle with almonds. Makes 4 servings.
Spicy Skewered Shrimp with Grilled Watermelon
If you don’t have metal skewers, use wooden ones that have been soaked in water for 1 hour.
2 tablespoons hot paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp , peeled and deveined (about 36 shrimp)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 seedless watermelon , cut into quarters, then sliced into 1-inch-thick wedges
1/2 cup sugar
In a large bowl, combine paprika, cayenne and salt. Add shrimp and toss until well coated. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Heat grill to medium-high. Divide shrimp among skewers, about 3 to each skewer. Brush with olive oil and grill 3 to 4 minutes each side, until pink and opaque.
Sprinkle one side of each watermelon wedge with sugar and place on the grill, sweetened side down, until sugar caramelizes, about 3 minutes (do not flip). Remove from grill. Top with skewered shrimp before serving.

Slushy Watermelon Mojitos
basis for this ruby-hued version. Be sure to keep the limeade frozen so the beverage will be slushy.
5 cups cubed seeded watermelon
1 cup sparkling water, chilled
3/4 cup white rum
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 (6-ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate, undiluted
Mint sprigs (optional)
Lime slices (optional)
Arrange watermelon in a single layer on a baking sheet; freeze 2 hours or until completely frozen.
Combine frozen watermelon, sparkling water, rum, mint, and limeade in a blender; process until smooth. Garnish with mint sprigs and lime slices, if desired. Serve immediately.