Vegan Practically

We’re gearing up for a long weekend here in Ontario. The weather is promising to be spectacular and I thought it might be good to talk about watermelon salad recipes. Have you tried watermelon salad? Well if not, here we go.

I hadn’t ventured there either, but a couple of weeks ago I was trying to decide on something to take to a potluck and deliberated long and hard between a broccoli salad and a watermelon salad. Both of these are better known for their non-vegan counterparts. Broccoli salads seems always to have bacon in them. Watermelon salads are apparently nothing without feta. Well, I had success on both fronts — no bacon, no feta needed!

For something like this, I use the recipe as a guide, not a bible. I bought a delicious juicy watermelon and had in mind that I needed a recipe with mint (because I have a lot of mint). I used the Minty Watermelon Cucumber Salad from the Minimalist Baker and Watermelon Mint Salad from A Virtual Vegan as my guides.

I threw together the watermelon, cucumber, mint and jalapeno from the Minimalist Baker’s version. I skipped the pepitas or pistachios (because I had none) and subbed in green onions for the red onions. I opted for lime juice over lemon juice and included the maple syrup and some salt. Back when I thought I might take it to the potluck (I didn’t–I went with the broccoli salad and it was a winner!), I bought a block of Daiya vegan feta. Instead of mixing it in, I kept it aside and just used it sometimes when I was making a meal of it.

It was great with the feta — sweet and salty. But it was also really delicious without. Most of this week I ate it as a side dish with other things and it was refreshing and satisfying.

It didn’t make me feel maxed out on watermelon, and a few times I had the salad AND I ate some unadorned watermelon for dessert.

Despite that my crew, given the choice in advance, voted for the broccoli salad, I am convinced that the watermelon salad is a great choice for a potluck. And even though both recipes noted that it doesn’t keep particularly well, I thought it did just fine in the fridge. I wouldn’t try to freeze it, but most salads aren’t the sorts of things you’d freeze.

If you’re curious about the broccoli salad, I made this one from the New York Times Cooking site. I stuck really closely to the recipe, especially for the dressing. And it was amazing.

I forgot to photos of my versions of either of the salads, so I’ve pictured a few of the ingredients I have on hand if I should decide to make another watermelon salad this weekend.

Enjoy your weekend and bon appétit!