Cantaloupe Salsa Recipe- Vegan, Paleo, and Frugal

The last time I was at the market, one of the vendors who sells past prime produce had a melon very similar to cantaloupe on sale for 13 cents a pound, and though I only wanted one or two, he gave them to me for much less than 13 cents a pound, and I ended up going home with about 10 melons. Now 10 melons is a lot for me on a regular day, but these melons weren't the yummiest in the world. 

They weren't bad, but they were rather bland and not very sweet, which meant that just eating them plain didn't appeal to me. (My kids, on the other hand, appreciated the melon, even not so sweet.)

But it got me wanting to be creative with the melon, finding different ways to use it- perhaps in savory dishes instead of sweet. I made a chilled cantaloupe based gazpacho (much like this recipe) and then decided to see how it would work in salsa.

Cantaloupe salsa was so delicious and enjoyed by the whole family that I've already made a second batch. You've got to try out this recipe!

I've tried it with cantaloupe mixed with cucumbers, and have seen cantaloupe mixed with tomatoes, but this recipe is without either. Feel free to add one or another or maybe even bell peppers to this recipe, adjusting seasonings to taste. This recipe works just as well with sweeter cantaloupes, and probably would work just as well with honeydew melon.

Cantaloupe Salsa Recipe- Vegan, Paleo, and Frugal

Ingredients:

4 overflowing cups cantaloupe, diced (approximately 1/2 of a regular sized cantaloupe, if I recall correctly)

1 medium onion
1 hot pepper (or more or less to taste) or hot pepper flakes to taste
1/3 cup olive oil or other liquid oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:
1. Dice your melon.

2. Dice your onion finely.

3. Cut your hot pepper into tiny rings or tiny squares.

4. Mix all the ingredients together, adjusting to taste.

5. Serve cold, as a side dish, as a dip, or however you like.

Enjoy!

What do you do with cantaloupe when it doesn't taste so sweet? Have you ever made a savory melon dish? What was it? Ever made or had melon salsa? Does this look like a recipe you'd try?