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So many easy recipes for using watermelon!

Watermelon is simply a wonderful fruit, in my book. But wait – technically it is also a vegetable. In fact, Oklahoma designated the watermelon as its official state vegetable in 2007. Anyway, which it is doesn’t matter when you’re gobbling up a slice of watermelon (and not worrying about dribbling juice) or munching on chunks more delicately with a fork or on a skewer.

But there are plenty of other ways to prepare (and eat) watermelon.

In honor of National Watermelon Day, (this coming Sunday, August 3rd) I’ve put together a Watermelon Round-up, organized by course. You’ll find everything from a canapé to a sorbet and lots in-between, from an amazingly talented group of bloggers. Enjoy these recipes and let us know (with a comment below) if you have other ways you like to serve watermelon.

Easy recipes for Using Watermelon

Appetizers

Watermelon sits delicately on top of a cracker in these watermelon canapés with thyme and lemon from Noelle of Opera Singer in the Kitchen .

. I like to hollow out a cube of watermelon and fill it with savory cheese and vegetables. This appetizer looks especially nice topped with a tiny round of jalapeno pepper or black olive.

Soup

Watermelon gazpacho takes typical gazpacho ingredients up a notch. Here is my simple version that takes just a few minutes to make in an immersion blender.

Salads

The watermelon-and-feta combination becomes a beautiful stacked salad in this version from Annemarie of Real Food. Real Deals.

Susan of The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen makes a warm salad by grilling watermelon and halloumi (a semi-hard cheese that works great for grilling or frying) with a bed of farro, a nutty and lovely grain, underneath.

Photo by Susan Palmer

Condiment

Pickled watermelon rind is a traditional Southern treat. It’s easy to make, as I discovered when I tried pickled rind recipes from The Bitten Word and Martha Stewart.

Main Courses

These two dishes from Jennifer of The Fit Fork showcase how well watermelon “plays” with fish. Jennifer pairs watermelon with shrimp on a skewer and layered with spicy seared salmon. I loved the seared-and-layered concept and tried it with swordfish, a mild white fish. It was spectacular! Plus, searing thick slices of watermelon is sheer genius.

This watermelon-and-beef stir-fry (at the end of my October 2012 watermelon post) is a glorious combination of spicy and sweet, where the watermelon is added at the last moment to a dish that takes only a few minutes to cook.

Side Dish

As far as I can tell, the Southeast Asian dish called sambhar or sambar (a side between a soup and a stew, containing lentils, vegetables, tamarind and other ingredients) does not typically contain watermelon rind. But Laura of The Spiced Life found a version that did and she gave it a thumbs up.

Desserts

Renee of Flamingo Musings makes key lime watermelon sorbet and found 6 different ways to use it. My personal favorite is “straight up,” as a simple, delicious dessert.

makes key lime watermelon sorbet and found 6 different ways to use it. My personal favorite is “straight up,” as a simple, delicious dessert. Although watermelon would disintegrate in baking, you can still make a watermelon cupcake using this ingenious method from Monica of EatRunRepeat .

. I can’t get over the incredible color of this watermelon cream from Heather of Real the Kitchen & Beyond. (She used a “regular” red watermelon.)

Photo by Heather McCurdy

Popsicles and summer are synonymous in my book. These watermelon yogurt pops from Carla of Chocolate Moosey and this “adults only” watermelon-mojito version from Susan of the Girl in the Little Red Kitchen will make you smile and lick your lips in anticipation.

Drinks

Mexican-style watermelon agua fresca is delightful. My 4-ingredient version has no added sugar, allowing the sweetness of the watermelon to take center stage.

Watermelon margaritas from Barb of Creative Culinary put me in the mood for a weekend of sipping drinks on the deck or by the pool.

Photo by Barb Kiebel

Watermelon ice cubes may be silly, but they are awfully cute. I did mine by layering watermelon and a concentrated limeade.

Have a great weekend and happy National Watermelon Day!