School is back in full swing and the lazy days of summer are long gone, but it’s not too late to get one last taste of your favorite summer flavors. Many late-summer fruits and vegetables are still in season and can be used to make light, refreshing recipes like this watermelon and tomato salad.

Like any salad, the key to making this one great is to use good ingredients, so we recommend using high-quality produce like farm-grown tomatoes. When you’re searching for the perfect watermelon, look for one that seems heavy for its size. This means that it will be deliciously juicy rather than dry and mealy, and it’s a trick that can be used for most fruits.

At first glance, this fruit pairing hardly seems obvious, but its restaurant popularity this summer was no accident. The watermelon brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes, and together they make a crisp, tangy topping for a bed of peppery, slightly spicy arugula. Topped with feta cheese and almond slivers, this unconventional salad is a great way to dress up a club barbeque or brighten up a busy Wednesday afternoon.

Ingredients:

2 tomatoes

4 cups of watermelon

2-3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

6 leaves of fresh basil, shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

1 bag of arugula (also known

as rocket)

Feta cheese

Sliced roasted almonds

Servings:6

Process:

The first step is to cube your watermelon. If you are working with a whole melon, the best way to do this safely is to cut a disc off the top and bottom. This will create the flat surfaces necessary to keep the melon from rolling while you cut.

When you have cubed the watermelon and tomatoes, combine them in a large bowl and add in the red-wine vinegar, olive oil, dried thyme, shredded basil, salt and pepper.

Toss the salad to evenly distribute the dressing. You can adjust the vinaigrette to taste, but keep in mind that the bitter arugula and salty feta cheese are both strong flavors that you should account for.

Let the salad sit for at least 10 minutes to let the flavors combine. For the best results, let it sit in the fridge for several hours if not overnight.

Serve the salad piled on a bed of arugula and topped with the feta crumbles and the sliced roasted almonds. If your salad feels underdressed, you can spoon some of the extra vinaigrette over

the arugula.