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*Makes 6 medium-sized skewers.
Ingredients
3 cups of fruit — we used seedless watermelon, muskmelon, and blueberries! You could also use strawberries, raspberries, etc. depending on the season.
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
Assemble the fruit onto skewers in any order you wish!
Microwave the chocolate chips for about 45 seconds, until melted.
Drizzle the chocolate over the fruit skewers.
Enjoy!
This recipe was developed and photographed by dietetic internship student Amy Campbell.
Ingredients
1 muskmelon, chopped
1 cup strawberries, chopped
1/2 cucumber or bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup raw almonds
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
Mix the muskmelon, strawberries, cucumber, feta cheese, and almonds together in a large bowl.
For the salad dressing, mix the canola oil, red wine vinegar, and ground pepper together thoroughly.
Pour the dressing onto the salad and mix.
This recipe is best consumed right away. Enjoy!
This recipe was developed and photographed by dietetic internship student Amy Campbell.
Ingredients
1 muskmelon
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Wash the muskmelon with a produce brush. Cut off the outside skin and cut the muskmelon into curved slices.
Combine the muskmelon, honey, and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl.
Place the mixture on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, flipping the muskmelon halfway. The muskmelon slices should be hard around the edges and softer on the inside.
Wait 5 minutes for the muskmelon to cool then serve on yogurt, ice cream, or by itself! You can eat the muskmelon cold or hot and for breakfast, a snack, or dessert.
Recipe developed and photographed by dietetic internship student Amy Campbell.
Earlier this week we talked about freezing muskmelon and watermelon in chunks, to be enjoyed in a variety of ways throughout the year. Today, I’ve got another frozen recipe for you, this one meant to be enjoyed now, while it’s still nice and warm out!
Meet the Melon Pops, a quick and easy treat that is deliciously healthy, with no added sugars! Simply chop, blend, season, pour, and freeze the melon mixture into a Popsicle mold, and ta-da! You have your very own pops, made from scratch. You can pick up your very own Popsicle mold from any kitchen-supply store. Many grocery and hardware stores also carry them this time of year. They come in many shapes and sizes, so have a little fun with it! I grabbed some that turn out pops that look like precious jewels. Let me know what kinds you find!
Store-bought Popsicles are often full to the brim of added sugars, and have little nutritional benefit. Did you know that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), added sugars should be limited to less than 5-10% of our total daily energy intake? This translates to no more than 12 teaspoons of added sugars per day for the average adult. For kids, the recommendation is no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day. The average Popsicle that you’ll find in the grocery store contains up to 14g of sugar – that’s more than 1 adult should consume in a day, and more than double what our kids should be eating! Popsicles are a great treat once in a while, but for something to be enjoyed on the daily, try making these homemade guys today. Not only do they contain 0 added sugar, they are made fresh from our melons, which means they are full of the healthy vitamins and minerals we talked about last time – Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Lycopene.
For an interesting twist, try adding some of my suggested flavouring options – from a variety of herbs to other fruits, the options are pretty much endless. Some may seem strange and surprising, but I promise, they pair well with the melons!
Muskmelon Pops
Ingredients
1 cup muskmelon chunks, diced
¼ cup Greek yogurt
¼ teaspoon flavouring per popsicle
Flavouring options: basil, mint, ginger, lemon, lime, raspberries
Instructions
Add diced muskmelon and yogurt to a blender or food processor and whiz until smooth.
Carefully pour blended melon and yogurt into the popsicle molds and place in freezer for at least 4 hours.
To remove from the molds, run under warm water until loose.
Enjoy!
Watermelon Pops
Ingredients
1 cup seedless watermelon chunks, diced
¼ teaspoon flavouring per popsicle
Flavouring options: basil, mint, lemon, lime, blueberries, chili powder
Instructions
Add diced watermelon to a blender or food processor and whiz until smooth.
Carefully pour blended melon into the popsicle molds and place in freezer for at least 4 hours.
To remove from the molds, run under warm water until loose.
Enjoy!
Recipe created by Alex Chesney, RD
Did you know you can freeze our melons? We are often met with surprise when we tell customers this… But we promise, it’s true! Muskmelon and watermelon (particularly seedless watermelon) both freeze well, and are such a treat to enjoy on a hot summers’ day, or during the winter season as a sweet reminder of the warmer months.
To freeze melon, simply follow these easy breezy steps:
Slice melon, remove flesh from the rind, and then dice into chunks.
Spread out melon chunks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Set prepared tray in the freezer for at least 2 hours, to allow the melon to firm up.
Transfer the mostly-frozen melon chunks to a labelled freezer-friendly bag, and return to the freezer for storage.
Remove from the freezer and enjoy whenever you’re craving a little bit of sunshine!
There you have it! With just 5 simple steps, it really is that easy to freeze muskmelon and watermelon. The process is very similar to that of freezing our berries, with the exception of lining the baking sheet with parchment paper. This step is important for melon chunks, as they are much juicier than whole berries, and would stick if they were placed directly on the tray.
Having frozen fruit from the summer months on hand during the winter is a great way to ensure your intake of healthy fruits doesn’t stop just because the season comes to an end. Like all fruits, muskmelon and watermelon are not only delicious, but also packed full of nutrition! Muskmelon is known for its incredibly high amount of Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant also important for our immune system, bone, teeth, and skin health. Muskmelon is also a superstar when it comes to Vitamin A, which helps us maintain normal vision, and also contributes to healthy immune systems, bones, teeth, and skin, just like Vitamin C! Like muskmelon, watermelon is also known for these two vitamins, as well as a neat little micronutrient called Lycopene, a pigment also found in tomatoes that gives some fruits its lovely red colouring. Like Vitamin C, lycopene doubles as an antioxidant, and its consumption may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
Frozen melon chunks can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Some of my favourites are listed below:
On top of plain Greek yogurt, with a sprinkle of lime juice for a tropical breakfast option
In a smoothie, mixed with coconut water, lime juice, and mango
As an addition to a tropical fruit salad featuring pineapple, mango, and strawberries!
Swap out ice cubes for frozen melon chunks in a glass of sparkling water for a refreshing, delicious, and healthy drink (pictured below). Add some mint & splash of lime juice to make it even more exciting!
Do you have any other ideas for using frozen melon? I’d love to hear them!
Alex Chesney, RD
