Guuuuys – this spring is giving us a little pretaste of summer (and many a day makes me want to just relax and do nothing). When the temperatures are rising and the air becomes so humid that you even start sweating when not moving at all my stomach stops to work properly. It can’t process hot, heavy and fatty food anymore. I’m craving fresh fruit and vegetables like a crazy person. So let’s start the summer salad season a little early with this refreshing feta watermelon basil salad!
When I posted the recipe for the Sweet Potato & Nectarine Salad I also gave you some advice on how to compose the perfect salad in general. Say no to lousy, pathetic greek salads from the takeaway next door. Let’s make salads vibrant, colourful and satisfying – even for meat eaters.
When composing a salad we want to make sure that it has soft as well as crispy components, a protein rich ingredient (to sate us), good and healthy fats (from oil, avocado or nuts) and, if you like, some lovely carbs as well.
To create the ultimate experience for our taste buds we want to add a wide range of different flavours, think sweet, salty, sour (bitter and umami). Especially the acidic part gets left out often, while actually putting the final touches to any dish.
More Summer Salads on Purple Avocado:
For the summer we’re craving something lighter. This is why watermelon is the perfect ingredient for a salad. A melon cheese salad is the perfect companion on hot days and fits perfectly to any summer activity.
As I provenly have many vegan readers I’m almost automatically thinking about dairy-free options while developping a recipe. So here are two very delicious options to make this watermelon basil salad vegan – without any loss in taste.
Have you ever heard of fermented tofu? This special kind of tofu comes very close to the flavour of feta. I love to dice and then fry it in the pan until golden and crisp (and it tastes perfect in basically any salad). So far I found fermented tofu only in organic supermarkets and all my trust goes – as usual – towards the brand Taifun (unpaid ad, since I love this shit).
Not a fan of tofu? After the shooting, when I wanted to put the leftovers into the fridge my jumbo jar of olives caught my attention (I have a weakness for black olives) and I had to pour a handfull into the salad.
Black Olives (preferably without stone) are a perfect substitute for feta cheese – they are salty, umami and therefore the perfect match for the sweet and juicy watermelon.
If you want to stay away from dairy go for the olives. They also look very pretty in the salad.
One Response
As always I adore your vibrant recipes and the thoughtful addition of vegan options.
Salty funky feta, sweet crisp watermelon and slightly spicy arugula play beautifully together in this bowl.