Watermelon Salad with Pickled Green Chiles

A special thanks to Rio Luna Organic Peppers for sponsoring this post. All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own.

Happy Fourth of July week friends! Who is ready for hot dogs and freedom? Me! Today I have a recipe that will go perfectly with any Fourth of July spread- Watermelon Salad with Pickled Green Chiles! Not only is this recipe incredibly fresh and delicious, but it’s easy to make!

Pickled Green Chiles featuring Rio Luna Organic Peppers

For this recipe I am using Rio Luna Organic Diced Green Chiles. What I love about this brand of chiles is the great quality. Nothing “extra” is put into the chiles so you are getting the freshest product possible. Rio Luna controls the product from the seed going into the ground to processing of the peppers into the packaging offerings, ensuring the highest quality and consistency in the industry. An added bonus, the new labels feature a special heat index meter to help you judge how spicy the chile or pepper will be.

I also love how the peppers come sliced and ready to eat! I usually just throw them into my homemade salsa or salads, but for todays recipe I pickled them ahead of time. In case you don’t know how to pickle peppers, head to this blog post to learn how easy it is! You can either do it ahead of time or just before you serve your salad. Since these green chiles already have a delicious natural flavor, they don’t need much time being pickled!

Ingredients

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 8 oz Rio Luna Green Chiles

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 
• 1 minced garlic clove 
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 cups watermelon, balled or diced 
• 3 cups arugula 
• 3 cups baby spinach 
• 6 ounces cheese, Feta or Romano 

Directions 

1. Pickled Green Chiles: Bring the vinegars and sugar to a rolling boil. Pour brine over chiles in mason jar. Store in the fridge. 
2. Dressing: Whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice, garlic, honey and salt. Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly, to form an emulsion. Store in the fridge.
3. Place the arugula, spinach, watermelon, cheese, and pickled chiles in a large bowl. Drizzle with enough vinaigrette to coat the greens lightly and toss well. Taste for seasonings and serve immediately.
4. Enjoy!