RECIPE | Fresh Watermelon Vinaigrette Dressing

Summer is almost here and that means HOT days (i’m in Texas, so we get our fair share), lots of outdoor activities and bikini season (EEK).

As I was thinking about all of the summer fun, I began to crave my go-to summer fruit… WATERMELON! Anyone else obsessed with watermelon as soon as the warm days start in?

I’m a sucker for watermelon anything, as long as it isn’t a fake watermelon flavor. I can’t stand fake fruit flavors. They just taste sugary and gross to me, so if I every come across something with cold-pressed fruit flavors, count me in!

One watermelon-flavored item that I can’t seem to find is salad dressing! A light vinaigrette dressing with a hint of fresh watermelon flavor sounded so good, especially tossed on some greens with feta, green onion and fresh veggies… #amiright?

I took a look at my normal go-to salad dressing brand, Tessemae’s to see if they had an option for me and they did not, though they did give me another idea! Sunflower seed oil!

The key to a good homemade vinaigrette dressing is finding an oil that won’t overpower the other flavors you’re trying to use in the recipe. Since fresh watermelon is a fairly light flavor, I didn’t want to use EVOO or olive oils as I find they have stronger taste profiles. So, I grabbed a bottle of my Tessemae’s Green Goddess dressing and looked at the label to see what oil was used and low and behold, it was sunflower seed oil!

I want to also note that this Fresh Watermelon Vinaigrette is a completely gluten free recipe, as well as a paleo and Whole30 approved dressing option! Woo hoo!

Recipe Servings // 24 2-tbls. servings

Macro Breakdown // 47 calories | 4.7g fat | 1.7g carbs | 0.1g protein

I N G R E D I E N T S //

• 1/2 cup Sunflower Seed Oil (I went with the refined option as I wasn’t wanting an intense amount of sunflower seed flavor)
• 1/2 cup Red Wine Vinager
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (I used about 2.5 lemons to get this amount)
• 2 tbls. roasted garlic (minced) or regular garlic would work too
• 1 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 2.5 cups of fresh watermelon (cut into small chunks)
• 1 tbls. fresh lemon pulp

I N S T R U C T I O N S //

1. Measure out all the oil, vinegar, lemon juice and dry seasonings. Mix together thoroughly using a whisk and then set aside.
2. Cut up your watermelon and add into a food processor, along with the lemon pulp and the 2 tbls. of garlic. Select the liquify option and blend all of those ingredients up until they look like juice.
3. Last step is to add both the watermelon juice and the oil mixture together in a jar. Then you’re all set!

*NOTE: this is a vinaigrette and so they tend to separate. You will need to shake it up before use. 

Now you are all set to go enjoy this delicious, low-calorie dressing on salads galore. So go grab yourself some fresh kale, fresh veggies, a block of feta cheese and GO.TO.TOWN!

Let me know what you think or if you have another dressing recipe I should check out, please share in the comments section!

xoxo Ashley