Don’t be scared- come back here! You may be thinking, ‘watermelon in my salad- I’ll pass.’ Trust me I was thinking the same thing, but guess what? That is why we are here- to test and trial recipes, find the best, and present the golden tickets to you! We are all about making your cooking experience a little less intimidating, and a lot more rewarding and this particular number takes no longer than 10 minutes to prepare!

We want you to to enjoy your kitchen, get to know your ingredients, and look forward to your chance to create masterpieces. We want you to enjoy one of the most important tasks we do each day-EATING! Isn’t it amazing that life, culture, relationships, love , the mere need of pure survival is embedded in food? FOOD for crying out loud!  For some, cooking, baking, even the task of entering a kitchen is scarey, and the thought makes one cringe,  but I say, dismiss the idea that cooking is a chore! Let it be experienced, lived, and enjoyed as it is intended.

This mentality will change the way you look at the preparation of food; I can promise you that. And trust me, I know that we don’t always have time to ‘whistle while we whisk’ and wear cute aprons. In fact a lot of us are probably holding a baby in one arm, and a phone in the other while using our chin to flip the page in a recipe book.  Trying to fit every last thing into our day is hard; I get that. For those days, we suggest something simple-cereal! Or, there is a big ‘or’ option- the idea that meals do not need to be complicated or elaborate to be tasteful, nourishing, and satisfying.

At coconuts and cardamom, we hope to give you a plethora of options for every occasion from everyday quick, healthy and family friendly meal ideas to sexy, creative infusions. Today I give you the best of both worlds with the Watermelon Goat Cheese Arugula Salad Drizzled with a Sinfully Seductive Balsamic Herb Vinaigrette. It’s quick and easy, but also a welcome deviation from your normal salad.

In the future we will be posting many classic favorite one pot meals and crock pot dinners, but for now lets get out of our comfort zone and give our taste buds something to talk about.

I challenge you to try it. If you don’t like it, it’s no big deal. Food is a journey to be explored-hanging on to the good and doing away with the bad!

This salad has enough elements to keep things interesting. You have the crisp, peppery taste of the arugula against the tangy ‘pillowy’ soft goat cheese , the sweet crunch of the watermelon, all brought into unity with this ever so easy to prepare balsamic herb vinaigrette. All together these elements create a symphony of flavors in your mouth! It takes only 10 minutes to prepare this absolutely  sly salad.

Tips:

I prepare the vinaigrette in a small jar for easy use and storage.

Substitute type of lettuce if you do not like arugula.

Top with chicken or fish to make a nice meal, accompanied with steamed rice or a baguette.

The vinaigrette can be used for all types of salads or for dipping your bread! Mmmmm…….

Let us know how it goes!