Melon, Feta and Frizzled Ham Salad

I think I’m in love. Salty ham (Ham Bacon!!!) gives way to creamy cheese and then into sweet melon. So good! This goes together in a snap, too—you can cut up the fruit and pre-cook the ham to make it easy and quick. One caveat: don’t put the cheese on the salad until you are ready to serve or it will get mushy.

Don’t get caught up in how big the slices of ham should be or how brown they should get—just do as much as you want to the crispiness you like.

Ingredients:

Dressing:

¼ cup honey
2 Tablespoons very warm water
½-1 teaspoon fresh lime juice (one big squirt)
2 teaspoons fresh mint, chopped

Salad:

3-4 slices of thinly sliced deli ham (or prosciutto)—enough to cover the bottom of your skillet without much overlapping
2 cups cantaloupe, cubed
½ cup blueberries
1/3 cup crumbled feta (drained) or goat cheese
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste (optional)

Directions: Stir the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. I just used a one cup measure to make the dressing.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Lay out the ham slices in the skillet so they are not overlapping much. Cook for 15-18 minutes, flipping occasionally, until brown and crispy. The thinner your ham, the faster it will cook. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and let cool.

Place the cantaloupe cubes and blueberries in a serving bowl. Drizzle ¾ of the dressing over the fruit. Crumble the feta on top. Crumble the ham on top of that and drizzle the whole bowl with the remaining dressing. Crack pepper over the top, if using. Grab forks.