The following post is brought to you by Mariano's and Collective Bias. All ideas and opinions are 100% my own.

We love melons around here, especially cantaloupe and honeydew. Strawberries, blueberries, cherries, those are all great but nothing says summer to me like a sweet, juicy melon.

I wanted to put a savory twist on my favorite fruit and create something healthy, yet easy to eat on the go whether in the car or at a party. Cause no one likes to see you with a melon juice all over your face.

To shop for fresh ingredients, I went to Mariano's, a local grocery chain in Chicago and the suburbs. I almost feel silly saying that a grocery store was amazing, magical, or gorgeous, but if you've been there, you'd understand. Their produce and fresh food section took up almost half the store, I saw ingredients I've always wanted to cook with and never saw in a store, and the prices were amazing. Even without their rewards card, I paid less for organic produce than I would for conventional at other area stores!

I didn't understand why Doug's grandparents drive as far as they do to shop there, but now I get it. I'll be heading to Mariano's in the future and will recommend it to fellow foodies in the area. (Bonus – it's right near IKEA! 🙂 )

 

I decided to make two types of "sushi", one with honeydew and one with cantaloupe. Both started with a whole wheat tortilla.

To make the honeydew sushi, I first made a honey mint cream cheese in the food processor with the leafs from 3-4 stems, 2 T of honey, and 8 oz (one brick) of cream cheese. Spread that on the tortilla, add ham, and thin slices of honeydew melon.

To make the cantaloupe sushi, I spread a layer of goat cheese onto the tortilla, drizzled it with honey, added prosciutto,  and thin slices of honeydew melon.

Cut a flat edge on one end to make it easier to roll, and roll that sushi up TIGHT. Now roll it even TIGHTER! (That was the hardest part of making these.)

When you've got your sushi rolled up, cut off a bit of the rounded edge. Cut those ugly edges off too and eat 'em, then cut the rest of the roll slowly with a sharp knife. I made my pieces about an inch thick, any thinner and they might fall apart.

Plate it up and make it look all fancy,

and then watch your kids go nuts.

Okay, not going to lie, Doug and I went nuts mostly. The sushi was savory and unexpected, great flavors. Lily, Ben, and Adam liked it, but they went straight for the melons. Each kid ate about a half melon while I was cutting them, and kept running up to me for more and more and more. I feel like the best way to get them to start eating fruit is for me to start preparing it. 🙂

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What are your favorite summer fruits?