Make the most of the last remaining days of summer with these truly mouthwatering vegan watermelon recipes featuring our favorite summertime drink, WTRMLN WTR. Then post your pics on Instagram and tag us @eco.salon and @wtrmlnwtr. Enjoy!

 1. WTRMLN CHRRY Acai Bowl

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 cup @wtrmlnwtr WTRMLN CHRRY
1 Sambazon unsweetened Frozen Acai Smoothie Pack
1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen mixed berries
1 banana
2 tablespoons peanut butter (or any other nut butter)
fresh fruit + unsweetened coconut flakes, for topping

Directions

Add all your ingredients to high speed blender. Blend until thick and smooth. Scoop mixture into a bowl and top with fresh fruit, unsweetened coconut (or other toppings you’d like!). Serve immediately. Enjoy!

2. Watermelon Pico De Gallo

Makes 3 cups 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups diced seedless watermelon
1 cup diced mango
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

Directions

In a large bowl, combine watermelon, mango, jalapeño, onion, cilantro, lime juice and salt to taste. Serve immediately. Pairs well with WTRMLN LME and your favorite corn tortilla chips, or our favorite @sietefoods cassava grain free tortilla chips.

3. Chili Lime Cucumber Noodles on Salted Watermelon

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 Watermelon “Filets” about 1” Thick
2 Limes, Juiced , divided into 2
½ Tablespoon Sea Salt, divided into 2
Chile Powder, to taste
2 Cucumbers, peeled into noodles
1 teaspoon agave
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup Arugula
1/3 cup Pumpkin seeds
Black Pepper, to taste

Directions

Place watermelon filets on plates. Sprinkle with lime juice, salt and chile powder. In a large bowl, combine cucumber noodles, remaining lime juice, remaining salt, olive oil, agave, arugula. Toss until evenly mixed and noodles are coated. Divide noodles into 4 and top watermelon filets. Garnish with pumpkin seeds, black pepper and chile powder to taste. Serve immediately. Pairs well with WTRMLN LME.

4. Veggie Sandwich with Chipotle Vegan Mayo

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 Pretzel bread rolls or bread of choice
6 tablespoons Vegenaise chipotle vegan mayo
1 head of Butter Lettuce, rinsed and pat dry
2 Tomatoes, sliced
1 Carrot, julienned
1 small red onion, julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Cut pretzel rolls in half. Add 1.5 tablespoons of chipotle vegan mayo to each sandwich setup. Add lettuce, tomato, carrot, red onion and red bell pepper to taste. Add a dash of salt & pepper, to taste. Cut finished sandwich in half, and enjoy! Pairs well with WTRMLN WTR or WTRMLN CHRRY.

5. WTRMLN LME Mezcal-Rita

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 Bottle (12oz) WTRMLN LME
Juice of 1 lime + more to garnish
1/4 cups Gem & Bolt Mezcal
½ cup plain Seltzer
2 cups ice
Watermelon wedge garnish (optional}

Directions

In cocktail shaker combine one 12oz bottle of WTRMLN LME, juice of 1 lime, 1/4 cup mescal and handful ice. Shake well until cold. Pour over ice in chilled glasses. Garnish with lime or watermelon wedge. Enjoy!

6. WTRMLN WTR Coconut Popsicle

Ingredients

Two 12oz bottles of WTRMLN WTR
6oz of Full Fat Coconut Cream
Optional Garnish: Granola & unsweetened Coconut flakes

Directions

In blender, combine WTRMLN WTR and Coconut Cream. Blend until smooth. Distribute evenly amongst popsicle molds (approximately 4-6 depending their size). Freeze for 8 hours. For some extra crunch, remove from freezer and roll bottom in granola and/or unsweetened coconut flakes (use agave to help stick). Refreeze on waxed parchment for another 20 minutes. Enjoy!

7. Sweet Potato Kale Salad with Fresh Watermelon-Mustard Dressing

Serves 4

 Ingredients

Salad

2 medium sized sweet potatoes, cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large bunch of Tuscan kale, stemmed and very finely chopped (about 6 cups chopped kale)

Dressing

2 tablespoon WTRMLN WTR
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon stone ground mustard
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place cubed sweet potatoes on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and garlic. Toss to evenly coat. Spread sweet potato cubes evenly around pan and roast for 35-45 minutes, stirring halfway through, until sweet potatoes are fork tender.

While sweet potatoes are cooking, prepare dressing a small bowl. Combine olive oil, WTRMLN WTR, apple cider vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth. In a large bowl, add chopped kale. Pour dressing over the kale and toss to coat, gently massaging the dressing (with hands) into the kale for a few minutes to help soften.

Once sweet potato cubes are done cooking, add it to the kale. Pour into 4 salad bowls. Top with walnuts and vegan parmesan. Serve immediately.

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images via WTRMLN WTR

The post WTRMLN WTR’s 7 Favorite Vegan Watermelon Recipes to Make Before Summer’s Over appeared first on EcoSalon.

Summer is slowly coming to an end, so it’s time to get the best of the season’s deliciously juicy produce while you still can. Nothing is an emblem of fresh summer goods quite like heirloom tomatoes and watermelon, and they come together in this salad recipe that is healthy and light, and so easy to put together. 

This watermelon salad recipe is unique in that it doesn’t let the fruit steal the show (entirely, at least). Lusciously sweet and flavorful heirloom tomatoes add a touch of depth and earthiness, so the watermelon salad has more bulk and a more complex flavor profile. Onions, a lemon and olive oil vinaigrette, and fresh basil bring out the fresh flavors and take them to a whole new level of goodness. Play around with the fresh herb component – feel free to use mint, parsley or marjoram, among others. Meanwhile, feta cheese can be replaced with mini mozzarella balls or soft goat cheese, or give a vegan almond cheese a try. And while this recipe calls for two different types of watermelon – red and yellow – you don’t have to follow this recommendation down to the tee – either or works just fine.

Watermelon Salad Recipe With Heirloom Tomatoes and Feta

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 cup cubed red seedless watermelon
• 1 cup cubed yellow seedless watermelon
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
• 3-5 heirloom tomatoes, chopped
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Handful fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, basil, lemon juice and salt until evenly combined. Set aside. Next, add the watermelon, onion, and tomato to a large glass salad bowl. Pour the vinaigrette sauce over the salad and toss until evenly combined. Top with the feta cheese before serving. Enjoy!

Related on EcoSalon

Watermelon Battles High Blood Pressure

Watermelon: Alternative Fuel’s Pick of the Picnic

Mixed Melons Sorbet Recipe

Slices of Watermelon image from Shutterstock

The post Watermelon Salad Recipe With Heirloom Tomatoes and Feta appeared first on EcoSalon.

Remember how much fun it was to shoot watermelon pits out of your mouth as a kid? Who knew then that you were also building up an arsenal of amino acids to fight pre-hypertension, a precursor to cardiovascular disease.

Sweet, low-calorie, high in fiber, and nutrient rich watermelon (which is in season from late July through November) is now a hot topic in medicine with data coming out of Florida State University. Evidence from a pilot study led by food scientists is suggesting that watermelon can be an effective natural weapon, in keeping with the theory of food as medicine. It’s also noteworthy to mention that this is the first investigation of its kind being studied on humans.

FSU Assistant Professor Arturo Figueroa and Professor Bahram H. Arjmandi found that when six grams of the amino acids L-citrulline/L-arginine from watermelon extract were administered daily for six weeks, there was improved function in the arteries, which in turn caused lower aortic blood pressure in all nine of the pre-hypertensive subjects (four men and five postmenopausal women, ages 51-57).

Taking L-arginine as a dietary supplement isn’t an option for many hypertensive adults, says Figueroa, because it can cause nausea, gastrointestinal tract discomfort, and diarrhea.

In addition to the vascular benefits, watermelon provides abundant vitamin A, B6, C, fiber, potassium and lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. Findings from Figueroa’s latest pilot study at Florida State are described in the American Journal of Hypertension.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States, so start slicing. And here are a few recipes to get you started, from a Mediterranean Watermelon Salad to Grilled Scallop and Watermelon Kabobs.

For more information on heart disease visit the American Heart Association.

The post Watermelon Battles High Blood Pressure appeared first on EcoSalon.