Watercress Salad with Papaya and Lemon Dressing

Ingredients

• 0.3 teaspoon pepper black freshly ground
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard 
• 2  cucumbers english seeds removed and sliced into 1/ slices peeled quartered
• 6 cups watercress and greens mixed dried fresh rinsed
• 1  optional: lemon fresh
• 1 cup olive oil extra-virgin
• 1  papaya seeds removed and reserved peeled sliced
• 1  papaya shredded peeled cut into bite-sized lengths
• 0.3 cup rice wine vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon salt 

Equipment

• bowl
• blender
• microwave

Directions

1. Microwave the lemon in a small bowl to release essential oils, and set aside until cool enough to handle. Through the feed opening of a running blender add, one at a time, the papaya, papaya seeds, Dijon mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper, and juice from the microwaved lemon. (Note: If you squeeze the lemon with the sliced side against your palm, the seeds are likely to stay in the rind.) Then with the blender still running, add the olive oil in a slow thin stream. Please note that the edible papaya seeds lend a wonderful mustard-y taste to the dressing, but are coarse in texture. If you find the texture to be too coarse for you, strain the dressing before use.
2. Toss the greens, cucumber, tomatoes and papaya strings with enough of the dressing to coat, serving additional dressing on the side.