The fourth of July is an excuse to invite a bunch of friends over and heat up the grill. If you’re looking for a patriotic and healthy addition to your celebration, look no further! Here’s some red, white, and blue for the day.
One of the best things about summer is watermelon, at least, according to me. I decided to add a fun twist to an old favorite. Grilled watermelon is not new, but it still remains fairly unknown. I’ve read included a couple of super yum variations. For the white and blue, I topped vanilla yogurt with homemade blueberry compote; it’s great for breakfast, a snack, or dessert.
INGREDIENT LIST
Grilled Watermelon
~ Watermelon
Feta, Basil Grilled Watermelon
~ Watermelon
~ Feta
~ Fresh Basil
~ Kosher Salt
Cilantro, Lime Grilled Watermelon
~ Watermelon
~ Fresh Cilantro
~ 1 Fresh Lime
Vanilla with Blueberry Compote
~ Vanilla Yogurt
~ 12 oz of Blueberries
~ ¼ of Water
~ ¼ of Sugar
Grilled Watermelon
Grilling watermelon is incredibly easy. The hardest part is cutting the watermelon. I promise, it is worth the effort! Tip: You can cut and dice everything up to the day before and keep it chilled in the refrigerator. I like to have all the ingredients in cups, so people can make their own buffet style!
- Cut the watermelon into pie shaped slices about ½ an inch thick.
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Put the watermelon on the grill for between 3-5 minutes each side until char marks appear.
- Pull off grill, and it’s ready to enjoy. Or continue below…
Feta, Basil Variation
- Cut basil into thin strips and sprinkle on top of watermelon
- Sprinkle feta crumbles onto watermelon
- Drizzle with balsamic vinegar (I used chocolate balsamic vinegar just because)
- Add a dash of kosher salt (or any I just prefer kosher)
- Dig in! This is my favorite variation!!!
Cilantro, Lime Variation
- Chop parsley and sprinkle on top of watermelon
- Cut limes and squeeze over the watermelon
- Dig in! This is light and delicious
Vanilla Yogurt with Blueberry Compote
I love my yogurt with things mixed in. It’s great any time of the day. This is great for the holiday because it’s sweet, cool, and light for a healthy dessert. The blueberry compote needs to be made ahead of time, so it can cool down. It’s also amazing with bread pudding, pound cake, and so many other things.
- Pour blueberries into a sauce pan with water and sugar (I saved a few berries for garnish later.)
- Over medium heat, bring the ingredients to a simmer
- Stir constantly until the berries have popped and the sauce thickens considerably
- Pour compote into a container and set aside to cool completely
- Once cooled, this can be poured over yogurt or saved for a week in the refrigerator
I hope you enjoy! I really had a blast making this and mostly eating! It just tastes like summer!