Tired of plain old watermelon? Spice it up with this salad

After a summer of watermelon - just plain watermelon - I wanted something a little different with one of the last melons of the season.
My friend Lacy had mentioned this recipe earlier in the year and I filed it away in the back of my mental recipe box. It really didn’t sound like something I would like, but I try to keep an open mind in all things, including food.
I am a big fan of varied flavors and textures in my food, so in that respect,, this sounded good, but I just had a difficult wrapping my mind around vinegar and watermelon together.
But what the heck...why not?
I was doing a little background for this recipe and found that I shouldn’t just toss the rind in the trash when I was putting this recipe together. Watermelon rinds apparently are also edible – some people use them as a vitamin-rich vegetable. In China, the thick outer skin is stir-fried with olive oil garlic, chili peppers scallions, sugar and rum (another one for the mental recipe box), stewed or pickled.
The red flesh of this melon is a significant source of lycopene and beta carotene.
So I assembled the ingredients and assembled this simple salad with great anticipation. And, oh, was ot worth it. Don’t be afraid, give this great salad a try. It’ll change the way you think about watermelon.

Autumn Watermelon Salad

3/4 cup halved, thinly sliced red onion
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 1/2 quarts seeded, cubed watermelon
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup pitted black olive halves
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
· Place the onion slices in a small bowl with the lime juice. The acid of the lime will mellow the flavor of the raw onion. Let stand for 10 minutes.
· In a large bowl, combine the watermelon cubes, feta cheese, black olives and the onions with the lime juice.
· Meanwhile, boil the vinegar in a small saucepan until it is reduced to 3 tablespoons (about 6-7 minutes).
· Pour the reduced vinegar over the salad and serve.