Watermelon Gazpacho (with Feta) for One

Say YES to this watermelon soup in the summer, it’s so refreshing – naturally light and sweet-spicy and hydrating – a good way to “eat” your water. The cucumber and watermelon in the recipe are loaded with water (96% water and almost 93% water respectively) which makes it no surprise the pair up are actually botanic siblings.

Refreshing and just for you! Whip up a single-serving batch of this hydrating, delicious cold soup made with watermelon, cucumbers and tomato -- no-cook and ready in minutes.

In addition to staying hydrated on a hot day, I like slurping up a bowl of this cold soup because it doesn’t make me feel bloated and heavy — in fact, it’s detoxing after an indulgent weekend thanks to robust levels of water, fiber, important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Watch this 15-second tutorial!

 I have been on a binge of “recipes for one” lately and have been working behind the scenes on a cooking for one cookbook. Making soup for one, may seem like too much effort, but trust me this simple and speedy recipe is almost no effort at all. And, even with college kids at home this summer, I still like to make this single-serve gazpacho and other recipes for one because I hate food waste, and they are most often always going their separate ways at the dinner area (such social lives)!

Refreshing and just for you! Whip up a single-serving batch of this hydrating, delicious cold soup made with watermelon, cucumbers and tomato -- no-cook and ready in minutes.

Making this cold soup with watermelon is easy-breezy – just gather up the ingredients (a little chopping involved, but it’s not intense), and then drop most everything in the blender (except reserve some extra watermelon that’s be diced up really find to stir into the blended soup for texture). And, top with crumbled feta cheese and extra fresh herbs, if desired.  

BTW, for single-batch recipes like this watermelon gazpacho, I like to use a mini-blender for effective blending. Often in my larger blender, the ingredients don’t rise high enough over the blade level.

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Fruit soups make a good substitute for dessert when I’m being mindful of my diet.  The recipe makes about 12-ounces and has 219 calories, 15g fat, 19g carb, 3g dietary fiber, and 4g protein. If you want to cut down the fat and calorie count, you can trim down the olive oil from 1 tablespoon to 2 teaspoons and by omit the tablespoon of crumbled feta cheese as the topping.  Together this is about a 60-calorie reduction – it’s still a tasty recipe, however, I think the recipe is more satisfying how originally written.

Detoxing Cranberry Gazpacho makes a lovely light chilled soup for your meal. Blended with healthful ingredients like cranberries, watermelon, cucumber to flush the body of excess water and toxins.

If you love cold fruit soups and watermelon, I think you’ll be berry excited about a past recipe of mine — Cranberry Watermelon Gazpacho.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission from products purchased, but price to you remains the same. Proceeds help offset operating costs for The Fit Fork. Thank you!

5 from 5 votes
Watermelon Gazpacho! Refreshing and just for you! Whip up a single-serving batch of this hydrating, delicious cold soup made with watermelon, cucumbers and tomato -- no-cook and ready in minutes.
Watermelon Gazpacho (with Feta) for One
Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 

Refreshing and just for you! Whip up a single-serving batch of this hydrating, delicious cold soup made with watermelon, cucumbers and tomato — no-cook and ready in mintues.

Course: Snack, Soup
Keyword: watermelon
Servings: 1 serving
Calories: 219 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 cup chopped cold watermelon reserve ¼ cup
  • 1 5- ounce ripe tomato
  • ½ cup chopped cucumber peeled and seeded
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoons lime juice
  • ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or other fresh herb like mint or basil divided
  • 1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
  1. Set aside 1/4 cup of watermelon and dice down into small bits (will be stired in at the end).

  2. Add watermelon, tomato, cucumber, olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, red pepper, most of the fresh herbs (save some for garnish), red and black pepper, and pinch of salt to blender. Blend for about 30 seconds or until mostly smooth.

  3. Best served cold, so if you did not start with cold watermelon, chill gazpacho for at least 30 minutes.

  4. Pour into bowl and stir in diced watermelon. Top with crumbled feta cheese and herbs.

Recipe Notes

No-Bake Strawberry Chocolate Cheesecake Bomb for One

This better-for-you, no-bake, single-serving dessert is an explosion of flavor without fallout.  Only 200 calories per the single ginormous bomb of deliciousness! All the adjectives I crave in a quick dessert – creamy, juicy, chocolatey, and healthy!

Satisfy your sweet tooth with this single-serve strawberry recipe stuffed with cream cheese and covered in a no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookie. Gluten-free, no added sugar.

Cooking for one dessert recipes are a favorite of mine – I can make just enough to satisfy me at the time, without lots of leftovers sitting around tempting me. Plus, I have young adult sons – they tend to want decadent desserts while I go for the more mindful recipes that fuel my sports goals.

This strawberry cheesecake bomb is based on a childhood favorite recipe, no-bake oatmeal cookies. You just quickly microwave unsweetened cocoa, milk and sugar option (old days we used real sugar, today I’ve used a lower-carb monk fruit blend). Be careful it doesn’t boil over your bowl. Immediately stir in nut butter of choice, oats and coconut.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with this single-serve strawberry recipe stuffed with cream cheese and covered in a no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookie. Gluten-free, no added sugar.

While this quick strawberry dessert sets up for 5 minutes in the freezer, hull an extra-large strawberry (or two smaller ones) and stuff with a bit of cream cheese (no need to sweeten it, this no-bake dessert recipe is already sweet enough.

Just mush and mold the cookie dough over the stuffed strawberry, then pop in the freezer for another 5 minutes to firm up. It’s not the most attractive thing as a whole, but when you slice it open or bite in you see the layers – that vibrant red of the berry pops and the cream cheese, well, looks so creamy!

Satisfy your sweet tooth with this single-serve strawberry recipe stuffed with cream cheese and covered in a no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookie. Gluten-free, no added sugar.
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This strawberry dessert for one is gluten-free and 200 cal per serving with 12g fat, 24g net carb, 6g protein! Enjoy!!!!!   

This post contains affiliate links.

No-Bake Strawberry Chocolate Cheesecake Bomb
Ingredients
  • 2.5 Tbsp. granulated sweetener cup-for-cup sugar alternative
  • 1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 Tbsp. milk
  • 1 Tbsp. creamy nut butter
  • 1 Tbsp. old-fashioned oats
  • 1 Tbsp. unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 extra-large strawberry or two smaller
  • 1 tsp. cream cheese
Instructions
  1. Mix together sweetener, cocoa powder, and milk. Microwave on high for 45 seconds, watching to ensure it doesn’t overflow. Remove, immediately stir in nut butter, oats and coconut. Stick in freezer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, hull strawberry and stuff with cream cheese. Remove dough from freezer, mold around strawberry. Return to freezer for 5 minutes to set up. Remove and enjoy!
Recipe Notes

This strawberry dessert for one is gluten-free and 200 cal per serving with 12g fat, 24g net carb, 6g protein! Enjoy!!!!!

7-Layer Italian Pesto Quinoa Dip – Easy Appetizer

Seven Layer Italian Pesto Quinoa Dip is a quick, easy and elegant appetizer for holiday entertaining or just everyday munching. Made with flavorful, nourishing items convenient to keep on hand in the pantry and fridge, this simple-to-assemble party dip can be ready to serve in under 10 minutes – and stores beautifully overnight if you want to make ahead.

This quick and easy layered dip makes a show-stopping appetizer in just a few minutes thanks to bottled pesto sauces (I used Sea Asparagus Pesto - but feel free to get creative). You can also serve mixed up in a bowl for an easier presentation. Great scooped onto crackers, or with chips -- also leftovers fantastic on a green salad for lunch or a light dinner.

Inspired by easy party dips my mom used to make in the 80s as well as elegant molded and stacked tartare dishes, this layered dish features strata upon strata of marinated and bold flavors and various textures that play well together when scooped up with a chip, dolloped on a cracker or just eaten by the spoon! I like to use up any leftovers sprinkled on a green salad!

This quick and easy layered dip makes a show-stopping appetizer in just a few minutes thanks to bottled pesto sauces (I used Sea Asparagus Pesto - but feel free to get creative). You can also serve mixed up in a bowl for an easier presentation. Great scooped onto crackers, or with chips -- also leftovers fantastic on a green salad for lunch or a light dinner.

Many of the ingredients (such as the hummus, marinated artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes) can be conveniently purchased pre-prepared in the deli or gourmet aisle of your favorite market. To make things speedy, you can also pick up a pouch of pre-cooked quinoa on the grain aisle – or defrost a bag of frozen cooked quinoa that has been meal prepped (that is my economical way – see quinoa freezer and meal prep post here).

This quick and easy layered dip makes a show-stopping appetizer in just a few minutes thanks to bottled pesto sauces (I used Sea Asparagus Pesto - but feel free to get creative). You can also serve mixed up in a bowl for an easier presentation. Great scooped onto crackers, or with chips -- also leftovers fantastic on a green salad for lunch or a light dinner.

The flavor cornerstone of this Italian layered dip is pesto – but not just any ole pesto! I used Sea Artichoke Pesto from Foraged & Found. I must admit, when I was sent some jars to try out, I did have to Google “What is Sea Asparagus.” What I found out is that Sea Asparagus (Salicornia) is a sea succulent that has a salty, ocean taste when eaten raw and brined, mellower flavor when cooked — used as an ingredient it really maximizes the umami taste in so many dishes from pasta and pizza to seafood and grilled meats.

Sea Asparagus sustainably harvested in Alaska.

What I love about the Foraged & Found company is that they have found a way to share healthful Alaskan foods from the wild that have been sustainably harvested and transformed into some of my favorite kitchen staples – like this Sea Asparagus Pesto. The sea asparagus pesto tastes very similar to a traditional pesto (but better) made with additional ingredients such as almonds, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic and lemon. So clever and eco-conscious!

Sea Asparagus Pesto
Sea Asparagus Pesto from Foraged & Found is mixed into quinoa.

Turning this pesto layered dip is a snap! Most of the pesto is soaked into the quinoa, and a generous dollop is saved for the top.

This quick and easy layered dip makes a show-stopping appetizer in just a few minutes thanks to bottled pesto sauces (I used Sea Asparagus Pesto - but feel free to get creative). You can also serve mixed up in a bowl for an easier presentation. Great scooped onto crackers, or with chips -- also leftovers fantastic on a green salad for lunch or a light dinner.
Use a 16-oz. container for a mold.

You’ll need a 16-ounce container to use as a mold – it can be cylinder-shaped (like a yogurt or sour cream container) or even a bowl – just make sure that the bottom (which will be the “top” when inverted) is narrower than the opening. I simply used the square plastic container that was provided at the olive bar when I loaded up on marinated tomatoes and artichokes for the recipe!

When layering this creative Italian dip, remember that each level loaded in goes in reverse of how it will look when presented. When inverting on a plate and releasing from a mold, the first ingredients put in at the bottom of the container become the items on top.

Order for Layers (press down lightly, as needed, after each layer):

Note: Start with 1 Tbsp. of reserved oil from the marinated artichokes or tomatoes (this helps release from the mold)

  • Pecans, chopped
  • Blue Cheese, crumbled
  • Garlic Hummus
  • Sun-dried Tomatoes, chopped
  • Marinated Artichokes, chopped
  • Fresh Spinach, shredded
  • Quinoa Mixed with Pesto

Chill a bit if needed to firm up and then, invert by placing a plate on top and flipping over quickly.

This quick and easy layered dip makes a show-stopping appetizer in just a few minutes thanks to bottled pesto sauces (I used Sea Asparagus Pesto - but feel free to get creative). You can also serve mixed up in a bowl for an easier presentation. Great scooped onto crackers, or with chips -- also leftovers fantastic on a green salad for lunch or a light dinner.
If your mold fails, just serve it jumbled up in a bowl — it still tastes great!

The cool thing about this Italian quinoa recipe is that if you have a “fail” when trying to release the mold, and it falls all over the place, you can just throw it all into a bowl and stir up! It tastes just the same, and still looks pretty because it’s so colorful – in fact, I’ve made it this way on purpose before! Also, you can just skip the inverting and stand-alone presentation – just layer it up how you want in a dish. The only downside here is that all the pretty ingredients can’t be seen at once.

Learn more about Foraged & Found and get more sea asparagus recipes:

Note: This post is sponsored by Foraged & Found as part of a bloggers recipe contest. #foragednfoundak #eatwild #wildalaskanprovisions

5 from 3 votes
This quick and easy layered dip makes a show-stopping appetizer in just a few minutes thanks to bottled pesto sauces (I used Sea Asparagus Pesto - but feel free to get creative). You can also serve mixed up in a bowl for an easier presentation. Great scooped onto crackers, or with chips -- also leftovers fantastic on a green salad for lunch or a light dinner.
7-Layer Italian Pesto Quinoa Dip
Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

r a light dinner.

Course: Appetizer, entree salad, Snack
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: appetizer, dip, party food, pesto, quinoa
Calories: 187 kcal
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans
  • 2 oz. blue cheese crumbled
  • 4 oz. garlic hummus
  • 1 cup fresh spinach chopped
  • 4 oz. sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (mostly drained*) chopped
  • 4 oz. artichokes packed in oil mostly drained, chopped
  • 4 oz. Sea Asparagus Pesto from Found & Foraged reserve 2 Tbsp. for garnish
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • * Reserve 1 tbsp oil from marinated tomatoes or artichokes to use as a “lube” for the mold.
Instructions
  1. Use a 16-ounce square or round “mold” that is slightly tapered, meaning the bottom is narrower than the top – this will allow layered dip to slide out easily when inverted. A sour cream or yogurt container works nicely.
  2. In medium bowl, mix together cooked quinoa with most of the 4 ounces of pesto (save about 2 tablespoons for garnish).
  3. Add the approximate 1 Tbsp. of reserved oil from the marinated artichokes or tomatoes to bottom of mold container and swirl around. This helps release layers later).
  4. Add layers in this order: Chopped Pecans, Crumbled Blue Cheese, Hummus, Chopped Sun-dried Tomatoes, Chopped Marinated Artichokes, Shredded Spinach, Pesto Quinoa Mixture.
  5. If needed, stick in fridge for 10 minutes to firm up (sometimes the hummus gets too soft at room temperature).
  6. Remove from fridge and carefully run knife around edges of container to help release layers when inverted (but taking care not to “smear” it all together).
  7. Place plate on top of mold opening and quickly invert, gently pulling off mold container. ***
  8. Dollop with remaining pesto.
  9. *** If you have a failure when trying to release the mold, the nice thing about this recipe is that it can be served in a bowl stirred together as a jumble! It tastes just the same, and still looks pretty because it’s so colorful!
Recipe Notes

Creamy Cinnamon Vanilla Watermelon Soup

The end-of-summer heat is hard to beat in Texas, but I’ve been cooling down with Creamy Cinnamon-Vanilla Watermelon Soup. This incredibly simple and refreshing cold soup is made with chunks of juicy, naturally sweet watermelon, creamy unsweetened Greek yogurt, a splash of vanilla extract and smattering of ground cinnamon.

Creamy Cinnamon-Vanilla Watermelon Soup

It’s a heathy fruit dessert or wholesome snack anytime of the day (great to refuel after a workout thanks to hydration, protein and carbs). This cold fruit soup is also one of the frugal ways I like to use up my leftover watermelon when I buy one that is too huge to eat up in a few days.  

This cold dessert soup recipe was inspired by my genius, light-bulb moment to sprinkle cinnamon on a bowl of watermelon balls a few years ago – check out the post on Four Ways to Season Watermelon That Will Blow Your Mind. The cinnamon watermelon and other watermelon seasoning ideas were so amazing, it’s a show I took on the road to San Diego at the Fit Foodie Festival.

Watermelon seasoned with cinnamon and vanilla
Inspired by the time I sprinkled cinnamon on watermelon!

WHAT ARE THE BENEFTS OF CREAMY WATERMELON CINNAMON VANILLA SOUP?

Fist, watermelon is a very hydrating fruit, comprised of 92-percent water. It also provides natural, no-added-sugar carbohydrates to fuel daily activities. Watermelon also known for some other nutrients that are important to my active lifestyle like vitamin C (for immunity), lycopene (for cardio-vascular health) and the amino acid, l-citrulline (for less muscle fatigue and soreness after workouts)!

Greek yogurt makes watermelon soup creamy and adds a boost of protein!

The ”creamy” in creamy watermelon soup is achieved with unsweetened, plain Greek yogurt. I’m a big fan of Greek yogurt because it helps me achieve my daily calcium goal (18% DV in ¾ cup), is a great source of protein (around 17g per 3/4 cup), and is packed with probiotics, healthy bacteria that can help boost your immune system and decrease stomach issues.  

Aslo, cinnamon, the spice that really takes the watermelon flavor to the next level also has great benefits. Cinnamon has antioxidents that can lessen inflammation, it is a prebiotic (the food that probiotics eat in your gut), and research has shown that it can lower blood sugar levels by slowing the breakdown of carbohydrates in your digestive tract.

Creamy Cinnamon-Vanilla Watermelon soup is a simple and refreshing snack, appetizer or healthy dessert featuring just four ingredients! A great way to use up all the watermelon if you have leftovers from a larger one (or have stored chunks in the freezer)!  For more watermelon heath benefits and recipes, please visit thefitfork.com
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HOW TO MAKE CREAMY WATERMELON SOUP?

The process of making a cold fruit soup like this watermelon soup takes just a minute or two – chop up seedless watermelon, throw in the blender and blend – no need to strain out the pulp, I like to keep to benefit from the fiber and also to give the soup a little more substance. Then, just blend in Greek yogurt, cinnamon and vanilla and serve. That’s it!

Freezing watermelon
Plan ahead and freeze leftover watermelon in chunks or blended and poured into muffin tins or ice cube trays.

You an make this summer watermelon soup any time of the year by storing chunks of cut up watermelon in the freezer. Either store it in chunks . . . or you can blend, freeze in ice cube trays or mini muffin tin to use later in recipes like this and drinks of all types. As I mentioned earlier, it’s what I do when I have too much watermelon to polish of before it goes bad. Having these bags of watermelon prepped in the freezer, gives me access to one of my favorite fruits for use year round in recipes like this creamy watermelon soup, smoothies, barbeque sauces, and more. Also, if you don’t have lots of freezer space or didn’t plan ahead, you can also purchase frozen chopped watermelon at the market – find it near the frozen veggies and fruit.

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission from purchases made through the links, however the price to you remains the same. Thank you for supporting The Fit Fork.

Creamy Cinnamon-Vanilla Watermelon Soup

Creamy Cinnamon-Vanilla Watermelon soup is a simple and refreshing snack, appetizer or healthy dessert featuring just four ingredients! A great way to use up all the watermelon if you have leftovers from a larger one (or have stored chunks in the freezer)! For more watermelon health benefits and recipes, please visit thefitfork.com

Course: Appetizer, Dessert, entree soup, Snack
Keyword: cinnamon, watermelon, yogurt
Servings: 4 10-ounce servings
Ingredients
  • 4 cups cold seedless watermelon, cut into chunks
  • 1 cup unsweetened plain Greek yogurt I used 2%
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Place watermelon in blender, process until smooth. If using frozen watermelon, let it thaw a bit before blending. No need to strain pulp out of watermelon.

  2. Add Greek yogurt, cinnamon and vanilla. Process until incorporated.

  3. Serve cold, divide among four bowls. Approximate serving size is 10-ounces. Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon on top, if desired.

Recipe Notes

Blueberry Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Balls (Low-carb)

Low-carb Blueberry Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Balls are the perfect little, no-cook solution for summer snacking. They store in the fridge or freezer, making them cool and at-the-ready when hunger strikes.   

These blueberry chocolate chip cheesecake inspired "bites" satisfy your sweet-tooth with no added sugar. Plus, added collagen gives a protein boost to provide a sustaining snack and post-workout refuel. Super easy, no bake! Low carb and keto friendly.

Blueberries add so much flavor and natural sweetness, plus all those amazing blue and purple food nutrients that you don’t find many other places. I used a (no-sugar-added) berry-flavored collagen (THEFITFORK10OFF) will save you at GreatLakesWellness.com) which amplifies the berry flavor even more, but I’ve made the recipe also with unflavored cohttps://bit.ly/GreatLakesWellnessllagen (and even vanilla whey) and the snack is still just as special. The choice is yours!

Save 10% at greatlakesgelatin.com with code THEFITFORK10OFF
I used collagen powder from Great Lakes Gelatin — Save with code THEFITFORK10Off

Cream cheese makes the base of this recipe, along with a little coconut flour (and the previously mentioned collagen powder) to firm it up. Then it’s just stirring in chopped blueberries (fresh or frozen), some chopped sugar-free chocolate chips (or mini chips, if you can find them), setting in the freezer for 10 minutes to set up, then forming into eight little balls.

These blueberry chocolate chip cheesecake inspired "bites" satisfy your sweet-tooth with no added sugar. Plus, added collagen gives a protein boost to provide a sustaining snack and post-workout refuel. Super easy, no bake! Low carb and keto friendly. For more clean eating recipe inspo, visit thefitfork.com

So EASY, so YUMMY, so BLUE – blueberry and chocolate loaded collagen cheesecake balls are perfect finger food treats for Red, White and Blue celebrations. I’m making a batch for a post-workout snack for an upcoming 4th of July workout with my fitness boot camp. I like how they are pre-portioned and snack-sized, I can just pop one of the blueberry cheesecake bites my mouth rather than eating an entire chocolate chip blueberry cheesecake!

These blueberry chocolate chip cheesecake inspired "bites" satisfy your sweet-tooth with no added sugar. Plus, added collagen gives a protein boost to provide a sustaining snack and post-workout refuel. Super easy, no bake! Low carb and keto friendly.

Each piece has about 100 calories, 4.6g net carb and 4.5g protein. If you want a keto cheesecake balls, make sure you are using full-fat cream cheese (which is what I have in the recipe and nutrition facts)

save 10% Great Lakes Wellness collagen and products with code THEFITFORK10off
save 10% Great Lakes Wellness collagen and products with code THEFITFORK10off

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission from products purchased through links here — however, price to you remains the same. Proceeds are used to offset operating expenses at The Fit Fork, thank you for your support!

Blueberry Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Collagen Bites
Prep Time
15 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
Course: Snack, workout
Keyword: blueberry, cheesecake, collagen, low carb
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 4 oz. cream cheese softened
  • 4 Tbsp. collagen powder* berry flavored or unflavored
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar-free choclate chips chopped
  • 1/3 cup blueberries fresh or still frozen
  • 1/3 cup coconut flour
Instructions
  1. Coarsely chop chocolate chips and blueberries, add to bowl.
  2. Stir in softened cream cheese, collagen powder* , and coconut flour until combined.
  3. Put in freezer for 10 minutes to firm up. Use hands to roll into one big ball.
  4. Cut this ball in half, and each half into 4 pieces – to make 8 total pieces.
  5. Roll each piece between hand to make into tidier ball.
  6. Keep leftovers in the fridge.
Recipe Notes

I used Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Powder in Berry flavor (discount code THEFITFORK10OFF at bit.ly/ShopGreatLakesGelatin ) but an unflavored collagen or berry or vanilla whey or plant protein powder may be substituted in the same quantity.