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Watermelon Wonders

More than just a summer picnic favorite, watermelon offers important pregnancy benefits and shows its stuff in several surprising recipes.

By Leigh Brown Perkins


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Baked Tilapia With Watermelon Salsa

SERVES 6
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutes

Nonstick cooking spray
6 4-ounce tilapia fillets
1/4 cup lime juice
2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced

For salsa:
2 cups seedless watermelon, diced
1 8-ounce can pineapple chunks in juice, drained
1 14.5-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh Cubanelle pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 10-by-13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place fillets in dish, flat-side down. Sprinkle with lime juice and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and bake for 15 minutes.

While the fish bakes, combine the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl, tossing gently. When fish is cooked, top each fillet with 2/3 cup watermelon salsa. Serve over saffron rice, if desired.

Nutritional information per serving (1 tilapia fillet and 2/3 cup watermelon salsa): 244 calories, 18% fat (5 g), 43% carbohydrate (26 g), 39% protein (24 g), 6 g fiber, 3 mg iron, 64 mg calcium, 95 mcg folate, 53 mg vitamin C.


Watermelon "Split"

SERVES 4
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: None

4 bananas, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
1/4 medium seedless watermelon (about 4 pounds)
1 cup fresh berries (blueberries, blackberries and raspberries)
1 cup green seedless grapes
1/2 cup sliced honey-roasted almonds
1 8-ounce carton low-fat yogurt (vanilla or mixed berry)
8 leaves fresh mint, very thinly sliced

Arrange 2 banana slices in each of 4 shallow bowls. Use a standard-size ice-cream scooper to make watermelon balls, placing 3 scoops in each dish on top of banana slices. Top with 1/4 cup berries and 1/4 cup grapes. Sprinkle each split with almonds, then top with 1/4 cup yogurt. Garnish with fresh mint and serve immediately.

Nutritional information per serving (1 split): 350 calories, 26% fat (10 g), 65% carbohydrate (57 g), 9% protein (8 g), 8 g fiber, 1.4 mg iron, 157 mg calcium, 43 mcg folate, 30 mg vitamin C.

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August/September 2006
Leigh Brown Perkins is a food writer in Florida and the mother of three sons.

User Comments:

  1. Dear Leigh, Trust all is well. I just wanted to share with you that our Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) had mentioned the nutritional values of water melon for pregnant women in the narration of his saying which reads: "None of your women who are pregnant and eat of water melon will fail to produce off spring that is good in countenance and good in character." This was almost 1400 years ago. I would urge you to seek more of his narrations that will definitely help you in your research and studies within your field of knowledge and writing. Wishing you all the best. Regards, Mohammed
    — Mohammed Al Saqqaf
  2. 12 Foods of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be upon Him) (Arranged Alphabetically) Barley: Good in fever, while use in a soup form. Dates: The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said that a house without dates has no food. It should also be eaten at the time of childbirth. Figs: It is a fruit from paradise and a cure for piles. Grapes: The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was very fond of grapes - it purifies the blood, provides vigour and health, strengthens the kidneys and clears the bowels. Honey: Considered the best remedy for diarrhoea when mixed in hot water. It is the food of foods, drink of drinks and drug of drugs. It is used for creating appetite, strengthening the stomach, eliminating phlegm; as a meat preservative, hair conditioner, eye soother and mouthwash. It is extremely beneficial in the morning in warm water. Melon: The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said: 'None of your women who are pregnant and eat of water melon will fail to produce off spring that is good in countenance and good in character.' Milk: The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said that milk wipes away heat from the heart just as the finger wipes away sweat from the brow. It strengthens the back, improved the brain, renews vision and drives away forgetfulness. Mushroom: The Prophet (SAW) said that mushroom is a good cure for the eyes; it also serves as a form of birth control and arrests paralysis. Olive Oil: Excellent treatment for skin and hair, delays old age, and treats inflammation of the stomach. Pomegranate: The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)said it cleanses you of Satan and evil aspirations for 40 days. Vinegar: A food Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)used to eat with olive oil. [That's now a fashion in elite Italian Restaurants] Water: The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said the best drink in this world is water, when you are thirsty drink it by sips and not gulps, gulping produces sickness of the liver.
    — Mohamed Rushan
  3. Isn't green tea on the "no list"? I thought it prevented absorption of Folic Acid. It's an ingredient in the otherwise perfect sounding Summertime Slush.
    — Marta


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