Stuffed Melon Salad

The first day of school yesterday heralded a new chapter in my life.  Instead of being a mom of "little" kids, I am now officially a mom of school aged children.  All summer I would marvel at all of the time I would have to myself this school year, but now, on the second day of school, I looked around my already cleaned house, baked my second pie in a week, and then wondered, now what?  There are things I am looking forward to doing this year with all of my free time, I want to volunteer in my children's classrooms, I want to work out more, and I want to enjoy simply being by myself by reading or doing things like getting pedicures.  I also want to blog more as I find it a huge creative release.  I love finding new backgrounds and trying to find new recipes.  I can't promise it will be a daily thing, but you'll see me about more often!  For starters, I have this beautiful salad to share with you.  It is a very elegant, beautiful and delicious way to enjoy the last of the summer melons before cold weather starts to creep in.

Stuffed Melon Salad adapted from Twelve Months of Monastery Salads by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette

Serves 4

Ingredients:

(For salad)
2 small ripe cantaloupes
1 1/2 c. cottage cheese
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. seedless raisins
1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
A few mint leaves, finely chopped

(For dressing)
1/2 c. half and half
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbls. plus 1 tsp. honey
Pinch of white pepper

Directions:

1.  For the salad:  Cut the cantaloupes in half and scoop out the seeds.  I like to cut off a tiny sliver of rind on the side opposite the cut side to help them lay on the plate more securely.
2.  In a medium sized bowl, combine the cottage cheese, pecans, raisins and nutmeg.  Spoon the mixture into the cavities of each cantaloupe.
3.  For the dressing:  Combine all of the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.  Drizzle over the filled cantaloupes and sprinkle chopped mint on top.