Grilled Watermelon Salad with adidas #Sponsored
One of the most used captions on my Instagram feed is ‘Oh, Colorado, I love you.’ And it is so true- as a transplant from New England moving out to Colorado it was a culture shock in the best way. I loved the sudden access to the Rockies and I loved how focused Coloradans were on being healthy and active. Five years later I have gone full Coloradan (well, maybe not *full* Coloradan- I still appreciate my Oxford commas!) and have immersed myself into the work hard, play hard culture here!
I have met so many amazing people out in these mountains who are incredibly motivated and passionate fellow entrepreneurs. And as such we’ve have to adapt to days that are forever in transition. While writing this, my tomorrow looks as such: quick morning hike to tire out my two pups before teaching three yoga classes, having a conference call with a company I am about to work with, followed by a hotel opening out near the Red Rocks Amphitheater, and finally finishing with swinging by a restaurant opening with a few of my blogger friends. It’s a pretty full day- and that’s just a weekday! Needless to say, I love products, clothing, and food that can help with transitions.
So, in comes adidas. I have worn and loved adidas products since I was three years old- they made my very first peanut-sized shinguards when I started playing soccer! Nowadays my soccer days are behind me, aside from the random pick-up game, but I still am rocking their clothing because I love how multi-functional all of the pieces are. I appreciate that a shirt I can go hiking in like the Magic Logo Tank Top can work as I shift gears into yoga instructor mode, and shorts like the Terrex Voyagers are both super comfortable while hiking, and then completely appropriate to wear to a quick coffee shop meeting!
However, instead of the client meetings, today we are transitioning with food instead! The folks over at adidas wanted me to showcase my favorite healthy grilling recipe for summer, and -completely tooting my own horn here- I delivered. Now, Grilled Watermelon Salad isn’t complicated, but oh my goodness is it tasty! I love how something so sweet and refreshing can transform (transition!) into something savory, smoky, and decadent.
Grilled Watermelon Salad Ingredients
Fresh, Seedless Watermelon
Fresh Mint Leaves
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Feta Cheese
Pinch of Salt
Grilled Watermelon Instructions
You’ll have noticed that I didn’t put any exact measurements in the ingredients because you really don’t need any- this is a super rustic salad, no need to make it perfect!
1 Preheat your grill. For the photos you’re seeing in this post I am using a Le Creuset Cast Iron Grill Pan, but you are absolutely welcome to pop it on your grill outside too!
2 Carefully slice your watermelon into rounds about one to one and a half inches wide. Depending on the size of your grill, you can grill these whole rounds or cut the rounds down into wedges.
3 Using a basting brush, lightly coat both sides of the watermelon rounds with olive oil. I like a high quality olive oil, as you’ll be able to taste it in the finished product! [Also, I picked this olive oil up at Sprouts and was very pleasantly surprised that it has a pop-up pour spout! Little things like that make me happy, but I digress.]
4 Place watermelon onto hot grill until it starts to become a bit soft and develop grill marks, about 3-5 minutes each side.
5 Meanwhile, add balsamic vinegar to a non-reactive saucepan on medium low heat. We are reducing the vinegar by half to make a syrup, so pour in double what you think you’ll need! Allow balsamic to reduce, about 10 minutes.
6 After your melon is grilled, we assemble! Either keeping your wedge shape or removing the rind and cutting your rounds into even cubes, toss the grilled watermelon with feta cheese.
7 Chiffonade (finely shred) your mint leaves and garnish, then using a spoon, drizzle your balsamic vinegar reduction over the salad.
8 Sprinkle salt over the entire dish and serve!
The first time I heard of salt on watermelon I balked, but oh my goodness does it bring out such a balanced flavor profile! You have the sweetness of the melon, the smokiness of the grill, the freshness of mint, and salt all blended together into the perfect bite for your next summer grill-out! I’d love to know, what are your favorite products that help you transition throughout your day? Are you an activewear or adidas fiend like I am? Let me know in the comments down below!
I was compensated with both product and payment by adidas to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own. Some links may be affiliate links.
