From Erik's Kitchen: Watermelon Salsa

So it's gotten warm, which means it's time for the people who were just complaining earlier this week about how cold it was to now complain about the heat.  Sure, the humidity might be a factor in comfort, but I've only had a few times in my life where it was unbearable (and all of those times were in Virginia).

But hey, if you want something that's nice and refreshing (as the people at my office hopefully enjoyed today), here's a relatively simple (relative in the sense that you can chop things to a size you prefer) recip for watermelon salsa that I got from Food Network Magazine (and, to be completely accurate, Trisha Yearwood).

Combine in a bowl 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice, one and a half teaspoons of lime zest, one tablespoon of sugar, and some pepper.  Set that bowl aside and get a larger bowl.

Chop up three cups of watermelon (I use seedless so I don't have to seed it).  I do teeny tiny chops for salsa, but if you want it as a salad, go larger.  Skin, seed, and chop up one cucumber, add to the watermelon.  Seed two jalapeños (don't worry about size, remember the smaller the chile, the spicier it is, larger jalapeños are more mild) and dice them, add to the bowl.  

Now the fun part.  Skin and dice one mango, getting as much as you can from around the seed.  Add to the bowl.

Chop up one small red onion, add enough to taste.  I don't usually add the whole onion because it can be strong taste, and I prefer the sweetness of the fruit.

Now, take eight basil leaves, chop them up, add to the fruit mix.

Pour the liquid over the fruit, toss it together, store in the fridge until ready to serve with pita or tortilla chips.

Now, it might just be the moisture content, but I sat outside in the heat today with a small bowl of it and some chips, and after a couple of bites I didn't really feel the heat, it was extremely refreshing.

Enjoy!