29 Aug Watermelon Cucumber Salad
Refreshing and blissful, a watermelon cucumber salad with a piece of plant-based feta cheese is a late summer dream. We celebrate special occasions with food. And what better way to celebrate the end of summer with a watermelon cucumber salad to please our palate. Sizzling with life and multilayered flavours, it will turn the last watermelons of the season into an extraordinary entrée with just the right combination of herbs and seasonings.
Sweetness: You get the sweetness from the watermelon. Juicy and mouth-watering, it’s the perfect base. The perfect foundation for a unique salad like this one. Besides the lively taste and summer memories, your heart will also enjoy the perks of all the lycopene watermelon contains. It’s time we reconsider: watermelon is more than a healthy, warm-weather snack. It’s so much more indeed, and yes, it can be easily incorporated into your lunch or dinner in the form of salad.
Umami: Plant-based feta cheese is a wonderful ingredient. The one I picked was not very sharp, nor too tangy. It was mild and savory, making it an excellent umami addition to this recipe.
Slight bitterness: Cucumbers! Some cucumbers are more bitter than others, and that has to do with the variety (as well as weather patterns). This is due to the amount of cucurbitacin they develop, the compound responsible for bitterness. American slicing cucumber is the perfect example of that desired bitterness that will balance the sweetness and add a crunchy texture to your salad, along with the toasted seeds.
Herbal: Fresh spearmint is blessed with a pungent aroma, and aromas are inextricably intertwined with taste and flavor. In plain words, food would be boring without herbs.
Fats and Acids: The dressing here is uncomplicated and fuss-free. A good olive oil (I always use Kasandrinos extra virgin olive oil) whisked lightly with freshly squeezed lime juice will do the trick and bring everything together.
Salty: and let’s not forget about the salt. Flaky salt, or in this case, Fleur De Sel, the finest and most delicate of salts, which I happened to have in my pantry as a friend recently, kindly, gifted me a jar.
Watermelon Cucumber Salad Recipe
Serves: 2
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
3 cups cubed watermelon
1 cucumber, medium
1/2 cup plant-based feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
1 1/2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil, preferably extra virgin
1/2 lemon, medium
flaky salt and a pinch of white pepper
fresh spearmint leaves to garnish
Instructions
Heat a heavy-bottomed, dry pan and slightly toast the seeds, tossing for a few seconds.
Slice the cucumber thinly and toss in a mixing bowl with the watermelon.
Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and mix gently.
Transfer on a serving plate and top with crumbled, plant-based feta cheese, the toasted seeds and garnish with fresh spearmint leaves.
Add the juices from the mixing bowl, they make a wonderfully simple dressing.
Serve immediately and enjoy at room temperature.
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