FRESH WATERMELON SALAD WITH VEGAN PARMESAN

Freshen up your summer menu with this light & zingy watermelon salad with vegan Parmesan sprinkle. It’s a perfect addition to any summer party table, whether you are serving it as a starter or dessert. Vegan & gluten free.

I’ll be honest, we have been having such a glorious hot weather here in the UK that I’ve hardly spent any time in the kitchen recently. We’ve been packing our picnic baskets and heading off to the seaside after school. I’m so lucky to be living only forty minutes away from the sea. The British summer doesn’t normally last very long at all, so I’m taking full advantage of this glorious hot weather.

When I was packing some snacks for the beach last week, I thought I’d throw a quick fruit salad together with my favourite summer fruits – watermelon and strawberries. I didn’t want to make just a boring plain fruit salad but something with a little zing to it.

WHAT IS WATERMELON SALAD MADE OF?

We combine simple yet fresh, bursting with summer flavours ingredients:

• Watermelon
• Strawberries
• Basil

Then, we add a touch of sweet & sour zingy dressing made with lime, maple syrup and olive oil to lift up the salad flavours.

Finally, we add a new dimension of savoury flavour – vegan ‘Parmesan’ sprinkle.

WHAT GOES INTO VEGAN PARMESAN?

It’s a very simple recipe which calls for:

• Cashews
• Nutritional yeast flakes
• Sea salt flakes
• Black pepper

Just add all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form.

Vegan ‘Parmesan’ sprinkle really compliments the basil and adds a new layer of savoury flavour to this watermelon salad and balances out the sweetness of watermelons and strawberries.

The vegan ‘Parmesan’ recipe yields a small to medium size jar. You won’t use all of it for the salad but it keeps well in the fridge. Sprinkle it all over your toasts, salads or any savoury dinner. I’m totally addicted to it at the moment!

LOOKING FOR MORE HEALTHY SALAD INSPIRATION?

Try some of the readers’ favourite recipes below:

• Grilled nectarine & lentil salad
• Super easy spring green salad
• Green kale salad with spicy roasted chickpeas
• Easy Moroccan inspired salad
• Vegan potato salad (no mayo)

As always, if you recreate this flavour-punching watermelon salad, I’d be delighted to read your comments and hear your feedback. Be sure to drop a comment here on the blog, tag me in your photos on Instagram @Fit Foodie Nutter, Facebook or Pinterest so I don’t miss them.

See you next week.

Healthfully yours,

Tania x

FRESH AND ZINGY WATERMELON SALAD WITH VEGAN PARMESAN (V, GF)

Tania Pilcher | Fit Foodie Nutter

Freshen up your summer menu with this light & zingy vegan watermelon salad with parmesan sprinkle. It’s a perfect addition to any summer party table, whether you are serving it as a starter or dessert. Vegan & gluten free.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Course Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine British

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the salad:

• 4 cups watermelon diced (pips removed)
• 2 cups strawberries diced
• A bunch of fresh basil leaves finely chopped

For the dressing:

• Juice of 2 limes
• 3-5 tsp maple syrup
• 3 tsp olive oil

For vegan ‘Parmesan’:

• 1 cup cashews
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• A pinch of black pepper

Instructions

 

• Combine watermelon, strawberries and basil in a salad bowl. Mix well and set aside.
• To prepare the dressing, whisk lime juice, maple syrup and olive oil until well combined. You might have to taste the dressing at this stage and add more maple syrup if required.
• Combine cashews, nutritional yeast flakes, sea salt flakes & pepper in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture has turned into fine crumbs.
• Pour the dressing over the salad & mix well. Sprinkle with ‘Parmesan’ and more fresh basil if desired.

Keyword watermelon salad, vegan Parmesan

Making this? I’d love to see!Tag your snaps @Fit.Foodie.Nutter and #fitfoodienutter