Watermelon Rind-Blueberry Bread

1. Wash the outside of a watermelon with soap and water. Peel the outer layer of the watermelon and cut the watermelon extracting the red middle section from the white watermelon rind.

2. Shred watermelon rind with a food processor; this might get a bit messy as there is a lot of liquid. Drain shredded rind in a colander, squeezing to remove as much excess liquid as you can.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a loaf pan.

4. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl. Combine eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla extract, and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Add watermelon rind and mix well. Slowly mix in flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.

5. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 60 to 75 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Cook's Notes:

You can substitute up to 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. Instead of applesauce you can use vegetable oil as well. Increase the sugar amount up to 2 cups if you have a sweet tooth.

You will need about 1/2 the rind of 1 watermelon to get 3 cups of shredded watermelon rind.

You can make muffins as well with this recipe--fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake for about 30 minutes.