The Global Kitchen

I love watermelon! And knowing that the skewers would be a little spicy I though it would be a perfect side with a twist.

Bittman has a grilled watermelon recipe in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian only he uses rosemary and lemon juice. I thought mint would compliment the Asian dishes and I had some in the fridge that was looking a little wilty.

Simply cut a slice of watermelon rind intact, seed as well as possible without smashing the flesh, sprinkle with salt and pepper and brush with a mixture of olive oil and fresh mint. Grill over high heat, about 5 minutes on each side and sprinkle with fresh lime juice before serving. The juice carmelizes, almost becoming a syrup and the flavor intensifies. I think you could try a variety of herbs and spices. You could even do mint or basil and feta cheese.

Since watermelons were two for one at Fry's I plan on experimenting.

The skewer recipe is courtesy of uber-chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and appeared in the May 2008 issue of Self magazine. It's very food and not too spicy. You can adjust the Siracha if you want more of a kick.



8 wooden skewers
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 tsp sriracha
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 lb lean beef sirloin, cut into 1/8-inch strips
1 each red, green and yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces (optional)
Vegetable oil cooking spray

Dipping sauce
1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise(I used regular because low fat has HFCS)
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp fish sauce
Preparation

Soak skewers for 30 minutes. Puree cilantro, garlic, soy sauce, orange zest, sriracha, fish sauce and sugar in a food processor. Transfer marinade to a resealable plastic bag; add beef. Seal bag, toss and set aside up to 30 minutes. Combine dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl. Thread 4 pieces of pepper and 2 beef strips on each skewer, alternating beef and peppers. Coat grill rack with cooking spray; heat grill to high; cook until meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 122 calories (with bell peppers), 3.7 g fat (0.6 g saturated), 14 g carbs, 1.9 g fiber, 9.7 g protein