Celebrate summer with a beautifully light, wonderfully refreshing salad that is packed with flavors from its ingredients. Your refreshing vegan watermelon salad with tofu gets an extra kick with the sweet and sour balsamic dressing. A vegan recipe that will be warmly welcomed by non-vegans too!
As big as tasty
What represents summer more than a big watermelon with its delicious sweet taste? Large, round and full of sweetness, it is ideal for hot summer days and refreshes as a light and tasty watermelon salad. With hearty vegan tofu, fresh basil and fresh mint, you add a special touch. With a cool drink, it stands for Dolce Vita and a perfect summer afternoon or summer night!
Already buying a whole watermelon is something special, as it usually weighs a few kilos. Don’t worry, it will not stay in your fridge for long, because there is hardly anything more refreshing than enjoying a thick slice of it. Since watermelons contain around 90% water, they are extremely refreshing. I can also recommend watermelon as a smoothie. Just cut the watermelon into rough pieces, put it in a stand blender, add ice and blend again. You can strain the pulp if you want a fine smoothie; unsieved will give you a cool summer drink. Here you find more info on smoothie making.
Don’t waste!
In keeping with zero waste, my recipe also uses the white part of the watermelon. As you can read in my recipe notes, the white part has relatively little flavor. You can use it ideally as a substitute for cucumbers in a summer salad, for example in my summer quinoa salad. You can even use the peel: wash it well, grind it and mix it into the salad.
As you like it
A refreshing vegan watermelon salad with tofu is a light meal that you can modify with more ingredients. Check out my recipe and add more ingredients as you like them: Add some olives to make your watermelon salad even more Mediterranean, as will with some roasted pistachios.
Vegan Watermelon Salad with Tofu
Ingredients
Für die Marinade
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp Aceto Balsamico, balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp tamari / soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 10 g fresh basil leaves
- 1 small clove of garlic
Ausserdem
- 200 g tofu
- 800 g watermelon
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp seed mix
- 4 mint leaves
Instructions
- Lightly squeeze the tofu with your hands and cut into 1 cm cubes. Finely chop the basil, peel and press the clove of garlic.
- For the marinade: mix well the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tamari, dried oregano, basil and garlic in a bowl.
- Separate the red part from the green part of the watermelon. Cut the green peel off the white part. Cut the white part into small 5 mm cubes.
- Put the tofu cubes and the white watermelon cubes in the marinade and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour. In between, stir again and again.
- Cut the red part of the watermelon into bite-sized pieces.
- Briefly roast the kernel mix free of fat in a coated pan.
- After the tofu has marinated for at least 1 hour, mix it in a large bowl with the marinade and the red watermelon pieces. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the watermelon salad decorated with the toasted seeds and fresh mint leaves.
Notes
A whole watermelon can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. If cut open, it will keep for about 3 days.
Since a watermelon contains about 90% water, it is a great summer snack, thirst-quenching and almost without fat. It contains a little bit of vitamins and some potassium and magnesium. It is rich in amino acid L-citrulline.
