Celebrate summer with this Zucchini Watermelon and Feta Salad! SO easy to make and absolutely delicious!
Last week I was in Minneapolis with my kids and actually had to fly out to Arkansas for a quick trip for two days. I had a great time, but in the back of my mind I was thinking about my girls. I left them in Minneapolis to finish up their week at Korean Culture Camp and my sister and brother-in-law were watching them.
That night, I called them when I got back from dinner and Madeline says to me, “Mommy, I miss you so much I want to cry.” I tried to cheer her up by asking about her day at camp and she was playing with Peanut, my sister’s dog, which she loves. We hung up the phone and that night, I had a dream that something had happened at camp and all the kids had to be evacuated at the school and my kids were lost and couldn’t be found. Like something crazy happened and they couldn’t find my kids. My dream ended with my friend Face Timing me and showing me that she had found my girls and they were safe and sound. As soon as I saw them on the screen I started crying and I woke up immediately from my dream with tears in my eyes.
Maybe subconsciously I felt guilty for leaving them? I’m not sure why I had a dream like that but my sister told me they had a great time at camp, Madeline didn’t cry at all at drop off and was totally fine and that they didn’t miss me that much at all. Thanks?
As a mother, I question my decisions from time to time and although I am far from perfect, I do try to make good decisions. We have about four more weeks of summer and I have one more work trip to go on.
My husband, my great, loving and supportive husband, is taking a couple of days off to watch the girls so I can go to Nashville later this week. God bless him. We have our fair share of little fights and everything just like every married couple, but at the end of the day, I know he is the best husband and father the girls and I could ask for. So, thank you, Paul. I love you to the moon and back.
When I return from Nashville, I’m taking things easy. We have no more summer camps. We have no more ballet classes or other activities for the kids. We’re going to relax, go to the park and chill.
And eat lots of watermelon.
My kids are obsessed with watermelon. Watermelon slices (this is the photo that got me my $500 gift card to Anthropologie. Sorry, this is a sucky screen shot. I can’t find the original but it looks way better on Instagram. And over 24k likes?! wow!), watermelon balls and this watermelon salad.
There’s even watermelon cake so we have to make this too. Isn’t this the most gorgeous cake you’ve ever seen?
This salad is light and fresh and just screams summer. It’s totally inspired by Food & Wine magazine and Chef Jacques Pépin (who I am meeting in October!!! more on that later!) has the brilliant idea of adding pitted black kalamata olives. I absolutely love the sweet and salty here. The olives are so unexpected and absolutely delicious!
And I added zucchini and strawberries. Because summer.
Make this salad and let’s enjoy these last few weeks of summer!!!
- ½ seedless watermelon, scooped into balls with a melon baller OR cut into 1½-inch chunks, chilled
- 1 to 2 cups strawberries, sliced thin
- ¾ cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- pinch of kosher salt, optional
- 1 small zucchini, unpeeled and sliced thin
- fresh mint leaves
- dill, for garnish (optional)
- Using a large mixing bowl, add the watermelon balls or chunks, strawberries, olives, and feta. Drizzle on the olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice and toss together gently. Sprinkle on just a pinch of salt if desired.
- Arrange the zucchini slices on a platter and top with the watermelon and strawberry mixture. Garnish with the mint leaves and just a touch of dill for fun. Drizzle with a touch more olive oil and give another very light squeeze of lemon (if desired) and serve immediately.
Recipe adapted from Food and Wine
You’re meeting Jacques Pepin? Alice, that is SO the big leagues. Look at you!
Mom guilt is born the same day as your firstborn. We all question our decisions from time to time or feel that guilt nagging a lot of the time, but you’re following your gut, and you know that all is well. That’s the important thing!
Well, that and this salad. Good lord, it looks so good.
Mir, Yes, I am!!! In October at a Food and Wine thing here in WI. . thank you Mir .. yes, the mom guilt. But I’m home and everything is fine. . thank you so much!
First of all, you are an AWESOME mom…but I totally get that guilt. I’m sure every mom feels it at some time or another! This salad is so summer perfect I can hardly take it!
Thank you so much Joanne .. yeah you are right . . all moms feel it. . doesn’t make it any easier but I guess it’s inevitable!
I can definitely understand feeling guilty, but it sounds like you are doing all of the right things. And enjoying the rest of the summer with this salad sounds just perfect, Alice! I’m sure your kids will love this. Such a creative idea to combine zucchinis and feta, too! Looks gorgeous!
Wow! You have been a traveling fool lately, Alice! But I know you are an amazing mom…you talk about your kids all the time, so it’s easy to see how much they mean to you! It’s funny how dreams distort reality like that. I hope you have a great time in Nashville…I was just there last week! 🙂
This looks absolutely perfect for summer, Alice! Love watermelon and feta together!
So glad you have reunited with your girls Alice! The salad looks just perfect for summer, so fresh! Pinning!
I don’t think you need to feel guilty – you are doing great!
I love watermelon and feta together, but I haven’t added courgette before. Yum!
Oh Alice, you are an amazing mom. I feel that guilt all the time too but it absolutely helps to have loving and supportive husbands that rock 🙂 Enjoy the rest of the summer with your adorable girls, I love that watermelon pic, so so cute! This salad looks so fresh and beautiful! It has everything I love about summer!
Gosh girl I am sure that dream was absolutely terrifying but I’m so glad it was just a dream. I think it was definitely your subconscious expressing your guilt but you are such a wonderful mother that balances so well that you shouldn’t feel those feelings but I know that all moms do get down on themselves. I am so glad that you will be enjoying watermelon and relaxing the rest of the summer. This salad is the perfect way to experience that.
You know what? I’ve STILL not tried the combo of feta and watermelon, although I have heard it’s SO GOOD! Zucchini is my love, so this is right up my ally! Pinned!
Such a perfect summery salad, Alice! And sound like you are having a fabulous summer with your family – with all your travels and activities. It’s great that you can do so many things together. And that you can travel on your own sometimes too! 🙂
Thank you for always writing with such honesty, Alice. As a mama, for 25 years now, I get it! But I can also tell you – you’re doing a wonderful job of balancing everything – and it’s certainly a gift for both you and your husband to have each other as partners! You have a beautiful family! I love this salad and I love the picture of your daughter on Insta! Precious!
Awe, Alice. I wish I could say that I can relate, but I don’t have kids. So I can only imagine. It has to be hard though. However, it looks as though you are doing a great job. Try not to be too hard on yourself. And this salad, you certainly did a great job here. Love the use of zucchini and watermelon!
Some of my most frightening dreams have involved my kids. I definitely can relate. I love just taking it easier in the summer too. My son will be a senior next year, so each day with him is a gift I don’t want to waste! This salad looks like the perfect, refreshing way to get every last bit and bite out of summer! Love the addition of cucumbers!!
Omg. We’re so manic about our kids, right? We don’t want them hanging on us…but then when they seem apathetic, we’re like “hey? don’t you miss me?” Haley could consume her body weight in watermelon. Perfect summer salad!
Alice, I think you are an amazing mom! I had a very scary dream tonight about my mom, too bad she is so far away from me. I woke up crying as well. I think I’ll go and make this salad to feel better because watermelon always cheers me up and this looks so delicious!
You sound like an amazing mom! I feel like separation anxiety is almost healthy between kids and parents, because it shows how close they are 🙂 And I’m loving this fresh salad- dill and mint make the perfect garnish!
A mother’s guilt is so hard to escape. It’s like it goes with the job!
I could eat my weight in watermelon during the summer months. Love this salad.
Can’t wait to see you in Nashville in a few days!
Ugh, I hate dreams like that but the good thing about them is that overwhelming sense of relief when you wake up that it was just a dream! It’s so clear that you are an amazing mom, Alice! 🙂
AND an amazing recipe creator… I adore watermelon but never thought to pair it with zucchini! Great idea, especially in this heat!
You’re an incredible mom, Alice. Don’t ever doubt that! Everything you do, you do for M & P. They’re going to be the most well-adjusted, confident, intelligent girls with amazing palates, lol. You’re going to meet Jacques Pepin?! Incredible! We have a huge ass watermelon all cut up in our fridge right now. This salad sounds like just the right thing to do with it!
haha, NANCY?!!!! So good to hear from you, sister!!! yes, put that huge ASS watermelon to good use! and thank you .. you are always so sweet . . meeting Jacques Pepin at the Kohler Food & Wine Experience in Kohler, WI in October. . super excited! http://www.americanclubresort.com/calendar/2015/10/kohler-food-wine-experience
Aww… your kids sound so adorable, Alice! What sweeties! And what an amazing mom you are 🙂 This salad is not only stunning, but it sounds wonderfully fresh and delicious. A perfect sweet and healthy dish that I could picture myself eating outside and enjoying the summer evening 🙂
Thanks so much, Kathleen!!!
Hold on.. i have to pick myself up off the floor and sit back in my chair! You are meeting Jacques Pepin?!?! OMG. I could DIE of jealously, Alice!!! I can’t wait to read all about that – because you better share allllll the details here!!!! While I pout, but am UBER excited for you, I need to eat my feelings with this healthy and delicious beauty of a salad! All these flavors are SO summer! This is salty, juicy, scrumptious perfection. And I must have it!! Love love LOVE! Pinned!
Side note- I just imagine you as the BEST mother. You are such a great food blogging friend, I simply can’t imagine you as anything but fabulous – as a mother and wife! Dreams are crazy and I’m glad yours was just a dream and the adorable girls are A.Okay! Enjoy your relaxing time with them! Cheers girl!
yes!! he and his daughter Claudine Pepin will make their third appearance together at the Kohler Food and Wine Experience in Kohler, WI!!! I’m attending this event as media!! http://www.americanclubresort.com/calendar/2015/10/kohler-food-wine-experience so excited! Cheyanne, I have never met you but I feel like I know you, sister. . you are the sweetest. . thank you so much for the kind words!! 🙂 I wish I could take you to Kohler with me! 😛
You are an awesome mom – don’t let those crazy dreams get to you. So cool you’re going to meet Jacques Pepin – he’s one of my favorite chefs. Love this summer watermelon salad – I’m a fan of sweet and savory watermelon salads 🙂
I love this summery salad, Alice! So perfect for National Watermelon Day :).
Having made a lot of watermelon salads, often quite weird, I’ve never incorporated zucchini! Indeed, that seems a good idea. Being a neutral veggy, zucchini should be nicely paired with the other ingredients. Lovely summer salad, Alice!
I remember being a kid at camp and even if it didn’t *seem* like I missed my parents that much, they were nearly all I could think about! Have so much fun in Nashville 🙂
Thank you Sarah. . it’s hard also when the kids are young. . my 4 year old nearly broke my heart. . 🙁
Alice, I understand feeling guilty over leaving them, well – when my daughter was around 3, she went through a really bad stage of separation anxiety. She had been going to the same daycare for awhile and all of a sudden, she would start crying and crying even with the teachers she used to love before. Well, one time, the director of the center told me to stay in her office for 5 minutes and then we slowly sneaked by my daughter’s classroom and peered through (without her knowing) and she was laughing and having a blast! I used to feel so so so guilty about leaving her and going to work – but she was ok…always had been. You are one heck of a mom – that’s probably why you are having dreams like that – cos you are anxious over your gals.
Btw – love the sound of this salad and ooh I made a similar watermelon cake – it is simply delicious!
Thanks so much Shashi for the thoughtful comment! yeah, I think it was different because we weren’t home and she was at my sister’s. . but she powered through. . thank you again, sister!
Oh gosh- the mommy guilt! Definitely been there, done that. But you are a great mom and your kids know it. They’re doing great. Love this salad and the sweet/salty, plus all the summery fruit and veg! It looks so refreshing!
Light and refreshing Salad! Very Summery!!!
What a lovely salad you have put together! I love the combination of watermelon and salty feta!
Yeah, this salad looks amazing! Not surprised, since I’ve been obsessed with watermelon lately. I don’t even bother cutting it up. I simply cut it in half and dig in with a spoon. But I might as well make a little effort and make this summer salad. Everything sounds delicious. Sweet and salty! Yum!
Watermelons are one of my favourite ingredients to use in the summer, they always add such a delicious and refreshing flavour to things! This salad looks so delicious Alice, and I love the addition of feta! Congrats on your photo winning the Anthropologie gift card too, thats amazing!!!! It’s such a cute photo 😀
That is so great of your husband. But what an awful dream! I can’t say that I know the kind of guilt you are feeling as I have no children, but you seem like an amazing mom! Your days of chilling with your kids after you get back will be great 🙂
But about this salad! It looks amazing! How refreshing!
thanks so much Cathleen!!! it took us a while to get there, and my husband still doesn’t quite understand all the traveling I do. . but yes, he’s awesome! thank you for the sweet comment!
I have crazy dreams like that sometimes — maybe I am just a worryer! I’m glad your girls had a good time and I hope you have a fabulous time in Nashville! This gorgeous salad is perfect for wrapping up the summer!
yeah, what’s up with these crazy dreams?! good to know I’m not alone! Thanks so much, Ashley!!
I’ve been eating a lot of watermelon lately but I’ve never thought of pairing it with zucchini and feta! Adding this to my recipe list 😀 Pinned!
The funny thing is, I’ve never liked watermelon, and all the recipes I’ve been seeing (including this one!) really make me want to jump right in. I’ve never had watermelon with savory ingredients, and I’ll bet I would really like it — this looks incredibly good! 🙂
Crazy dreams are the worst! They feel so real and take awhile once you’re up to shake off the heebie jeebies. This salad is amazing! Watermelon and feta – brilliant! Enjoy your trip Alice, and then enjoy your extended time at home with your fam even more!
Agh EVERY time I leave Stella, I always feel a little guilty..or sad (or both!!). Glad you guys will be taking it easy the rest of summer!
And this Watermelon Salad?!? YUMM!! I love that you added olives. Pure genius! Sweet and salty are kinda my favorite thing ever 😉
Oh my goodness, this salad is GORGEOUS, Alice! I am seriously in awe of all the summer goodness you loaded into one salad. This is just begging for a faceplant. 😉
This salad looks amazing, Alice! Love watermelon and feta – such a great combo! Perfect summer salad! Fab – Pinning! 😀
This is the perfect summer salad! Love this!
Aw, I’m sorry about your nightmare—especially since I know what a loving and dedicated mom you are!! I’m sure they’ll have a blast with Paul—Bill is always taking my kids out to eat when I’m out of town (to places I’d never go!). Anyway, what a gorgeous, tasty summer salad!! I can see why your photo won with your cutie pie’s beautiful smile 🙂
Simple, refreshing and beautiful! The perfect summer side. 🙂
Watermelon, feta, and mint is a marriage made in heaven. Perfection.
I love that you added zucchini, so creative!