Let the BBQ Begin!

One of my favourite things is a BBQ, and it's even better when it's a GF Potluck BBQ!!! So many different tasty treats to eat! Kate over at Gluten Free Gobsmacked is hosting a Virtual BBQ and to make it a little more challenging, we picked a letter of the alphabet to use when making our dish. I ended up with the letter W and planned on trying a bunch of different things with watercess to take but that was big flop. NO ONE had watercress anywhere (I kind of feel bad for my fellow Menu Swap bloggers who used watercress in this past week's menu when I didn't). I'm still searching and as soon as I find some watercress I'm grabbing it up so that I can eat it up. However, it all worked out as I knew it would. I chose a well-loved favourite - WATERMELON.

Last weekend, when it was super hot, I was dreaming of fresh watermelon. After searching on the web, I found a some really great ideas, but only one sounded really good!

Watermelon Salsa - oh yeah!

I think what I really loved about this recipe was that it is very versatile. It can be eaten with corn chips or rice chips, used as a BBQ sauce on chicken, or used in as a salad dressing (this is the one that appeals to me the most). I made the salsa last night (with my lovely mom's help) and left it to chill over night. Then I doctored it up in the morning and got it all ready to serve (this was perfect timing as my BFF's mom was hosting a baby shower for her, so I took it with me to share). I was pleasantly surprised at how great this tasted. There is quite a combination of the different tastes - sweet, sour, & spicy (& salty if you put it on corn chips/rice crackers).

So here is the water melon salsa, bon appetit!

WATERMELON SALSA
recipe found at Eating Well, with slight changes to mearsurements

7 cups watermelon, chopped/cubed
1 cup cilantro, chopped
2 hot pepper, finely chopped (give or take depending on how hot you like it)
1/2 a large red onion, chopped
1 1/2 limes, juiced
(1/2 cup Smirnoff Ice - or a tart GF alcohol) **
Salt to taste

chop the first 4 ingredients into small chunks and mix together in a large bowl. Add the lime juice (and alcohol if using) and salt. Mix together, cover, and then chill. This can either be chilled over night or for an hour or two, but I recommend a taste test at least a couple of hours before serving to make sure that it's not too spicy, fruity, or tart. This will be watery, but it's perfect for marinating. This way you don't have to worry about stirring it up every so often.

**If adding alcohol, then 1/2 the amount of lime juice. Note, Smirnoff Ice is GF in Canada, but I have heard that it is not GF in the States. Plain Vodka would probably work just as well with extra lime juice.

I didn't put any Smirnoff in my salsa for today simply because I didn't feel that it was appropriate for a baby shower, but I will definitely be making it with Smirnoff later this week.

Also, check out this Watermelon BBQ Sauce recipe as well, just make sure that all ingredients are GF.

Happy Summer BBQing!