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Chili Lime Cucumber Noodles on Salted Watermelon with Mint & Basil


IT IS. So hot. We celebrated the first weekend of summer pretty hard, so some fresh fare is much needed this week. So that we can go about the day a little lighter, a little more energetic, and a little more hydrated. Maybe even sleep a tiny shred better!

So yeah. This week’s been a little more quiet and calm with plenty of fresh food. I’ve been sinking into a lovely new magazine called Good Company in the mornings (when it’s still cool + lovely) with coffee or an earl grey, and I happened to stumble onto a little piece on the Green Kitchen Stories crew and some of their favourite kitchen items. There was a charming drawing of this little notched peeler. I scanned over the description and saw “life changing,” sort of half believing it… But seriously? If you spend a five’r on anything this summer, maybe you should make it a julienne peeler. If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’m all about #fancyladylunch with noodle-y vegetables lately. It just feels so irresistibly clever. A couple seconds of peeling and you have a bowl full of noodles that won’t make your stomach feel grossly full. The flavour building potential is kind of neat too. Lots of possibility.

In the magazine there’s a beautiful zucchini noodle and pesto dish, but I’ve been feeling these cucumber ones the most. They’re so hydrating and crunchy. A little sweetness, chipotle powder for heat, plenty of salt, pepper and lime juice. There’s barely a slick of oil and heaps of arugula, mint and basil. Avocado and pumpkin seeds fill the tangle out. Then you toss the whole thing and drop it on top of a sea-salted wedge of cool watermelon, which acts like a dessert-y afterthought when the noodles are gone, all completely juicy from the salt and extra lime. I kind of feel refreshed just talking about it. Anyway, summer! Days of beaches, bike rides and walking out back to pick dinner at the end of it all. Go after it, friends :)

CHILI LIME CUCUMBER NOODLES ON SALTED WATERMELON WITH MINT AND BASIL
Print the recipe here!
SERVES: 2
NOTES: If you don’t want to spring for a julienne peeler, just use a regular vegetable peeler for some beautiful ribbons of cucumber instead. Also, when making the noodles, I usually stop just short of the center where all of the seeds are.

2 flat pieces of watermelon, about 1 inch thick
juice of 1 lime, divided
chipotle chili powder, to taste (or other variety of chili powder)
fat pinch of flaky sea salt, divided
1 english cucumber, peeled into noodles with a julienne peeler
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
little squeeze of raw honey or agave nectar
2-3 handfuls of arugula
2 sprigs of mint, leaves chopped + extra to garnish
3 sprigs of basil, leaves chopped + extra to garnish
1 ripe avocado, peeled + diced
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
ground black pepper

Place the watermelon wedges on two plates. Sprinkle them with a bit of the lime juice, some salt and chipotle powder. Set aside.

Combine the cucumber noodles in a large bowl with the remaining lime juice, more salt + chipotle powder, olive oil, honey/agave, arugula, mint and basil. Toss to evenly mix. Divide the noodles between the 2 plates, placing them on top of the watermelon. Garnish the noodles with the avocado, pumpkin seeds and some fresh pepper. Serve with lime wedges if you like. Eat immediately.

26/06/2013 (Last Updated: 26/06/2013)
Posted in: gluten free, grain-free, nut free, quick, raw, salad, salty, sour, summer, sweet, vegan
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