Copycat Eureka Burger Watermelon Quinoa Salad

A symphony of sweet and tangy summer flavors 

Although summer is nearing an end, I am still craving summer salads during these hot days. Everything from green to Greek to pasta salad. Watermelon salad is one of my favorites. I often see recipes using watermelon, feta cheese, and mint or watermelon and tomatoes, but I truly fell in love when I first tasted it made with quinoa at a local chain restaurant called Eureka Burger. If you have ever had the opportunity to taste Eureka Burger’s Watermelon Salad when watermelon is in season, you know why I craved it all summer long. The tangy lemon vinaigrette, onions, and peppers balance perfectly with the sweet tomatoes, juicy watermelon slices, and silky balsamic glaze. Quinoa makes the perfect canvas for this artisan combination.

I love quinoa because it feels like a grain – and I love grains – but I am not still hungry after I eat a cup of it

like I am with rice or orzo. It is so healthy for you – low in fat but high in protein, potassium and vitamins. It has earned its name of Super Food. This watermelon quinoa salad recipe satisfies all my needs. It is technically a salad, it is full of healthy stuff, the protein is built right in with the quinoa, and the watermelon in it kicks it up into full-summer mode.

The first time I made my knockoff Eureka Burger Watermelon Salad, I just purchased a tub of their lemon vinaigrette and the recipe was just about spot on. But their vinaigrette does not last and if I am going to make the trip out to buy it I might as well buy the salad. So I perused about 50 different lemon vinaigrette recipes online and in my cookbooks and finally settled on one that sounded right. Then I promptly forget where I found it and so I tried another. Then another. What I learned is that this salad is pretty flexible and just about any lemon vinaigrette will work. In fact, you can pretty much add, delete, and reinvent this salad based on your needs and taste buds. Just consider this recipe as a starting point.

Copycat Eureka Burger Watermelon Quinoa Salad

Approx. 2-3 servings

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

½ cup arugula

¼ cup kale, chopped (optional)

1 medium tomato, chopped

½ large bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup cucumber, chopped

¼ onion, diced

½ cup feta, crumbled

¼ cup toasted walnuts (optional)*

Lemon vinaigrette, recipe to follow

Watermelon, sliced

Balsamic glaze, recipe to follow

Directions:

Prepare 1 cup quinoa according to package directions. Make sure to rinse thoroughly before cooking. I prefer to make my quinoa with low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock instead of water. Once quinoa is cooked, transfer to a bowl and let cool.

Mix lemon vinaigrette into cooled quinoa, to taste, until quinoa is lightly coated and flavorful. Mix arugula, chopped kale, tomato, pepper, and cucumber, and diced onion into quinoa and dressing. At this point, you may want to add additional vinaigrette to coat your veggies if you do not have enough. (I used almost but not quite all of the dressing from the recipe below).

Gently stir in feta cheese and toasted walnuts.

Top salad with slices of watermelon. My Eureka burger does watermelon spears, I throw in cubes or chunks, you could also use a melon baller. I used ½ of a baby watermelon, or about 6-8 spears, but how much you use is up to your taste buds.

Swirl balsamic glaze on top of watermelon.

* To toast your own walnuts, heat walnuts in a hot, dry pan and cook, stirring frequently, until they start to brown and smell toasted. Watch carefully, they can burn quickly.

Look at the size of those lemons!

Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients

2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 to 1 lemon, juiced)

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Pinch ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Whisk lemon juice, mustard, salt, and black pepper together. Whisk in olive oil until it emulsifies. You can whisk by hand, use a food processor, or use an immersion blender.

For a sweeter dressing, blend in honey to taste.

Balsamic Glaze

1 cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup brown sugar

Mix balsamic vinegar with brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until glaze is reduced by half. The glaze is ready when it coats the back of a spoon. Try not to overcook it or it becomes rock hard when cooled. Let cool and refrigerate until used.

This should make enough glaze for several watermelon salads and can be stored in the refrigerator until ready for use. Plenty of supermarkets also sell good balsamic glazes, so feel free to skip this step if you have one you like.