Watermelon, Jicama and Beet Mosaic Salad

Watermelon is very special to me. After college, I had the opportunity to live in India with my paternal grandparents, kaka and kaki (uncle and aunt) and my two little cousins for half a year while I volunteered at a local NGO. At first I was a little shy, as this was the firs time I would be spending an extended period of time with them all since I was a young child. Of course I knew that I was always welcome, but I wasn't sure if my American-ness would be perceived well, if we would really get along, or if I would "fit in" with their daily lives. To my delight, it turned out that I had a lot in common with each of them individually... and that we all had a common love for watermelon. My aunt would cut watermelon for us all every night and we would sit around the living room chatting about our days over our evening snack. It became a nightly ritual and those are some of my fondest life memories. To this day, I think of all six of them every time I have watermelon. And whenever watermelon is in season in India, my cousin sends me a message letting me know that they are thinking of me also. For this summer salad, watermelon, golden beets, ruby beets and jicama were all tossed in a tangy ginger mint dressing. The colors are stunning and each component has a different texture and sweetness  level, making each bite feel slightly unique.

Ingredients (yields 8 cups / 8 - 10 servings): 

Jicama (1 medium, chopped), golden beets (2 medium, chopped), ruby beets (2 medium, chopped), watermelon (1/3 small, chopped), lemon juice (2 lemon's worth), ginger root (3 Tb, finely grated, plus any juices), apple cider vinegar (4 Tb), agave nectar (2 Tb), extra virgin olive oil (6 Tb), fresh mint (1 handful, minced), salt (to taste).

Special Equipment: vegetable steamer pot, vegetable chopper (optional).

Preparation (40 minutes inactive, 30 minutes active (or longer if making a mosaic)):

• Wash and scrub the beets and cook them in a steamer for about 30 minutes, (or until you can easily pass a sharp knife through). Once cool, peel the skin off and slice the beets into 1/4 inch disks. 
• Wash and peel the jicama and slice it into 1/4 inch disks.
• Cut the watermelon into 1/4 inch slices and cut off the rinds.
• Chop the jicama, watermelon and beet slices by hand into 1/4 inch cubes, or use a vegetable chopper if you have one. Work in batches, wiping your surface or rinsing the chopper after each component so that the colors don't bleed together. Place the golden beets, ruby beets, watermelon, and jicama into four separate bowls.
• Juice two lemons over a small bowl. Add in the granted ginger (and any juices), apple cider vinegar,  agave, olive oil, and salt. Whisk together.   
• Mince the mint leaves and mix them into to the dressing.
• Pour 1/4 of the dressing over each of the bowls containing the beets, watermelon, and jicama, place the bowls in the fridge, and let everything marinate for at least 10 minutes.*
• Plate the cubes into a pattern on a serving dish, or layer the components in a serving bowl, starting with the ruby beets on the bottom, then the golden beets, then the watermelon, and finally the jicama on top

Notes:

* Due to the differing water contents, each component will end up having slightly different levels of pickling.

**If you do not plan on plating a mosaic, I recommend layering instead of mixing everything together. While it won't have any effect on the taste, if you mix the salad,  everything will turn pink from the ruby beet juices (which is also very pretty).