Home Dinner Watermelon Mint & Feta Salad

Watermelon Mint & Feta Salad

by Ann
4 comments

with Chicken, Bee Balm & a Honey Lime Margarita Vinaigrette

Watermelon, Mint & Feta Salad with Chicken, Bee Balm & a Honey Lime Margarita Vinaigrette ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #refreshing #summer #salad #recipe


I like to garden, but most of my property is forest, so there isn’t much light for gardening. I have a little pond on the edge of the forest with a waterfall. Years ago I planted a bee balm next to the pond. I heard that they like wet spots and they attract bees and butterflies, so I thought my pond would be the perfect spot for a bee balm. But it didn’t grow. I was sad.

What I didn’t know was that it must have actually taken foot because this year for some reason, it popped up and grew like mad and made so many lovely blossoms! I really love edible flowers so I did a little googling to find out if bee balm is edible. I was so excited to discover that not only are the bee balm blossoms edible, but the whole plant is often used to make tea and for medicinal purposes. Also called Wild Bergamot, there are lots of medicinal purposes for this beautiful plant according to Alt Nature:

Bee Balm leaves and flowers and stems are used in alternative medicine as an antiseptic, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic and stimulant. An infusion is medicinal used internally in the treatment of colds, catarrh, headaches, and gastric disorders, to reduce low fevers and soothe sore throat, to relieve flatulence, nausea, menstrual pain, and insomnia. Steam inhalation of the plant can be used for sore throats, and bronchial catarrh (inflammation of the mucus membrane, causing an increased flow of mucus). Externally, it is a medicinal application for skin eruptions and infections. Bergamot’s distinctive aroma, found in both the leaf and flower is wonderful for use in potpourri. While a fragrant herb in its own right, Wild Bergamot is not the source of the commonly used Bergamot Essential oil.

Bee Balm is gorgeous and tasty and yes, it makes a lovely addition to a watermelon salad. The way the flower petals grow reminds me a bit of a jester’s hat.

Bee Balm (aka Wild Bergamot) Blossom

If you don’t have bee balm, you can certainly make the salad anyway. I like to add crunchy breaded chicken on top if I’m eating it right away. If I’m making the salad in a jar, I usually leave the chicken out of the salad. I made a bunch of these (sans chicken) in jars for my yoga friends and they LOVED them. The sweet crunchy watermelon with salty crumbled feta, fresh mint leaves and crunchy chicken drizzled with honey and lime and a splash of tequila plus fresh flower petals … it’s the essence of summer!

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Watermelon, Mint & Feta Salad with Chicken, Bee Balm & a Honey Lime Margarita Vinaigrette ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #refreshing #summer #salad #recipe

Watermelon Mint & Feta Salad with Chicken, Bee Balm & a Honey Lime Margarita Vinaigrette

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: enough dressing for 4 - 5 salads

Ingredients

Scale

For the honey lime margarita vinaigrette dressing:

  • Juice of 2 fresh limes
  • 2 Tablespoons orange juice
  • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 23 Tablespoons honey
  • 1 Tablespoon tequila
  • 1 teaspoon orange liqueur
  • a pinch of cayenne pepper
  • a pinch of salt

For each salad:

  • Cubed watermelon
  • 2 — 3 Tablespoons of the dressing
  • Leftover chicken, chopped (optional)
  • Fresh mint leaves, chopped fine
  • Fresh salad greens
  • Bee balm petals, fresh
  • Crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Taste and adjust honey, salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.
  2. To make this salad in a jar: put the watermelon chunks on bottom, then the dressing, then the chicken, mint leaves, greens, flower petals and several hunks of feta on top. Store upright in the fridge until time to eat. At serving time, remove the feta, then pour the salad in a bowl, toss together the salad and crumble the feta on top.
  3. To make this salad to eat right away: Toss the greens with the watermelon and mint. Sprinkle chicken, bee balm petals and feta cheese over top. Drizzle with dressing.

Notes

To make this recipe gluten free, make sure to use gluten free tequila and chicken.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2015, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

Watermelon, Mint & Feta Salad with Chicken, Bee Balm & a Honey Lime Margarita Vinaigrette ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #refreshing #summer #salad #recipe

This recipe was shared at  Munching Monday, Simple Supper TuesdayTuesday’s Table, Treasure Box TuesdayShare it Wednesday, Wine’d Down WednesdayMoonlight & Mason Jars and Hearth & Soul Bloghop.

 

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4 comments

allie @ Through Her Looking Glass July 26, 2015 - 9:35 pm

What a gorgeous salad! Great lunch. So creative and delicious!

Reply
Christine from Cook the Story July 27, 2015 - 9:07 am

I’ve never used bee balm, but you’re right. It’s beautiful, and your salad is, too.

Reply
Ann July 27, 2015 - 8:39 pm

Thank you, Christine!

Reply
Edible Flowers - Jack Frost Landscapes & Garden Center April 16, 2020 - 6:32 am

[…] Watermelon Mint & Feta Salad with Bee Balm […]

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