The Beauty Department: Your Daily Dose of Pretty.

Beauty Bites

POST/PHOTOGRAPHY/GRAPHIC DESIGN BY NORAH CURLEE

We are officially in the final countdown for the summer season to begin! We don’t know about you, but when it’s a zillion degrees outside all we crave is something refreshing, light and more often than not, something involving WATERMELON. If summer had a mascot, this gorgeous fruit would definitely be it. This beat-the-heat, picnic staple fits the bill in the beauty benefit department as well as having a major yum-factor. Whether you slice it up and chow as is, or incorporate it into a fun dish a la today’s recipe, we think everyone should have this farmstand favorite on hand all season long!

Before we get into the recipe (well, more like an easy assembly of yumminess!), here’s what you’ll need and here is why you need it!

1. PINEAPPLE: We think it’s impossible to eat a bite of pineapple and not suddenly feel like you are on a tropical vacation (all the more reason). Pineapple has huge amounts of vitamin C and manganese, both of which are primary antioxidants working to fight free radicals; promoting anti-aging. It also contains vitamin B-1 which is a major energy booster. More energy = being more active and that radiates from the inside out!

2. Oh hey there, WATERMELON: We just love you and your beautiful pinky-red self. It’s because of that pinky-red hue that watermelon contains lycopene, an anti-imflamatory and well-known anti-oxidant helping to neutralize those pesky free radicals. The more antioxidants in your diet, the more protected your skin is from pre-mature aging and pollutants.

3. CUCUMBER: Cucumbers are very high in silica, which is essential for building and maintaining strong nails, bones, teeth and promoting hair growth. Not to mention the flesh of a cucumber is 96% water…hello hydration!

4. BASIL: You won’t be able to avoid these big green bunches of fresh basil come summer time…and we aren’t complaining! Eating raw basil can help purify your blood from toxins. This is most helpful if you are blemish prone!

5. FETA CHEESE: Now this one doesn’t exactly rank super high on the benefit meter…but this recipe was just begging for its crumbly, salty goodness. We couldn’t resist!

Now that we have our fresh ingredients, sharpen your chef’s knife and get choppin! You’ll want to dice everything as small as you can.

So, to make our Watermelon Tartare, we used a ring mold to layer our ingredients (you can also use a biscuit cutter). Of course you could just add your chopped ingredients to a bowl/plate, but we were obsessed with how easy it was and what a presentation huh?

We started with cucumbers at the bottom, pineapple next, then watermelon, feta and finished off with pretty basil confetti. Then you gently lift off the ring mold and VOILA!

We are picturing this cute, yummy idea at just about all of our summer BBQ’s. This has Memorial Day and July 4th written ALL over it. Our heart is bursting with watermelon emojis!

ENJOY!