Watermelon Salad with Chocolate Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup chocolate syrup
• 1/2 cup cream of coconut (recommended: Coco Lopez)
• 1 head Romaine lettuce
• soaked and dried in a salad spinner
• spines removed from leaves and torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large red onion
• thinly sliced
• 12 scallions
• white and tender green parts only
• sliced on the bias into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 English cucumbers
• diced small
• 1 pint halved grape tomatoes
• 1 seedless watermelon
• diced small
• 1/2 cup diced dried apricot
• 1 cup halved white grapes
• 1/2 cup chocolate covered raisins
• 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/4 semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 pound bacon
• cooked until crisp

Instructions

1. Through the feed opening of a running blender add, 1 at a time, the vinegar, cilantro, parsley, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper.
2. Leaving the blender running, add the chocolate syrup and then the cream of coconut in a slow thin stream to allow to emulsify.
3. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed, with salt and pepper.
4. Toss together lettuce, onions, scallions, tarragon, cilantro, and cucumbers.
5. Fold in watermelon, apricot, grapes, raisins, and chocolate chips.
6. Add just enough dressing to coat, serving any additional dressing on the side.
7. Serve with bacon crumbled on top.