Melon + Prosciutto +Cherry Spinach Salad

This salad was experimental. And the results were pretty decent. There are a few things we'd do differently next time, but overall it was a good summery light salad. I like watermelon+balsamic in combo so we tried adding in other things. Like rainier cherries. And prosciutto (why is that so hard to spell?). For people who like complicated + interesting taste, this is a winner. For people who like vanilla only, this may not be so good. So if you like your salads to keep you on your toes...read on.

You Will Need:

1. Handful of sweet rainier cherries -- pitted

2. A few sprigs of cilantro --don't go heavy on this

3. A small lime

4. About a cup of diced watermelon

5. Two-three slices of prosciutto

6. Two parts extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to one part balsamic vinegar -- for dressing

7. Half bunch of fresh (adult) spinach

First, prep your spinach. Just make sure each leaf gets rinsed well and then cut off the stems. You can save those in the freezer for broth later if you want to be resourceful. If you don't have a salad spinner (which are more fun), then just dab the leaves off with some paper towel. Tear the leaves into bite-size pieces.

Then you want to prep the prosciutto. We left it cold and sliced it into ribbons to more easily integrate into the salad. You can also just chop it up in smaller pieces. Either way. If you don't eat meat or prefer something else, you can either just leave this out (making the salad vegan) or substitute this for whatever protein source you prefer.

Before mixing together all of the ingredients, sprinkle a bit of lime juice over the cherries to keep them from browning. Then toss the spinach leaves, watermelon, cherries, cilantro and prosciutto in a large mixing bowl.

For the dressing, stir together the balsamic vinegar + EVOO and wait to pour over the salad until you're about to eat it. Cut the rest of your lime into a few thin slices and throw them in for prettiness.

Overall, we liked this salad and would probably do something very similar again--with some changes.

For me (D), I wasn't really feeling the prosciutto. That was A's idea--but he liked it. It's a bit too meaty for me. Maybe if it was cooked I'd like it better. Next time, I would use nuts instead or just leave out protein altogether. Maybe bacon bits would be good because they are more crunchy and less meaty. I really liked the watermelon + cherries together though. Was very fruity and summery and sweet. And I generally just like fruits with balsamic.

For A, he wasn't too into the cilantro. That was my idea. He says it tastes "soapy." Cilantro is weird though--you either hate it or love it. I didn't mind the cilantro, but next time we'll try a different herb like basil or mint instead. He liked the prosciutto + watermelon flavor. Prosciutto is often served with cantaloupe or honeydew, so we thought watermelon would be good, too. And we were right.

And of course, we both very much enjoyed the #SPINACH.

-A+D