Oil-Free, Vegan Watermelon Heirloom Tomato Salad
Juicy, sweet watermelon. Plus, juicy, sweet heirloom tomatoes. Isn’t this a match made in food heaven? This quick, easy vegan salad highlights fresh summer flavors. Keeping it oil-free, it’s light and low-calorie. Simple and delicious!
Choosing the best Watermelon and Heirloom Tomatoes
Because this salad has so few ingredients, it’s important that they be of high quality. But how do you pick the best watermelons and heirloom tomatoes?
First of all, remember that both are fruits. Yes, tomatoes are a fruit. When choosing any fruit, pick something that is HEAVY. Heavy often means juicy. If a melon is heavier than it looks, that’s the winner. If it feels
Second, look for a spot on that watermelon. Having a yellow spot on a melon means it was allowed to sit in the field until fully ripe. If there’s no spot, it usually means the melon was picked too soon. A good way to remember this trick? Just think:
“I SPOT a juicy melon!”
Chef Katie’s tip to look for the spot when choosing a ripe melon
Thirdly, give those tomatoes a sniff. Put your nose right up to those tomatoes. Close your eyes, and inhale. You should smell the rich, fresh smell of a vine-ripened summer garden. But, if your nose is left searching for a smell,
Choose whatever tomatoes look best at the market. These Red Zebra tomatoes have sweet flavor and make a beautiful salad 
Organic Tomatoes at Farmers MarketChoose whatever tomatoes look best at the market. These colorful heirloom tomatoes have sweet flavor and make a beautiful salad 
Small, sweet Sun Gold tomatoes are the first to come in for the season. They burst with juicy flavor! 
Choose whatever tomatoes look best at the market. These big heirloom tomatoes have sweet flavor and make a beautiful salad
Fourth, be flexible. Sometimes the best-looking melons aren’t seedless watermelons. If you find a heavy, ripe cantaloupe or a beautiful Santa Claus melon, choose these. If the big heirloom tomatoes aren’t in-season yet, maybe the small Sungold and Cherry tomatoes are the best choice. Try to be flexible and malleable to the market. In turn, you’ll have the most delicious recipes.
Watch to Learn More:
Why You’ll Love this Healthy Salad:
This salad is incredibly versatile. It’s simple enough for a weeknight dinner. But, it’s also elegant enough for entertaining. You can use it for vegan lunches throughout the week. Or, double the recipe for a plant-based side dish you can take to summer parties. This salad is:
- Fresh
- Light
- Easy to make
Chef Katie’s Healthy Cooking Tips:
Watermelon and other melon varieties: Use any variety of seedless watermelon or other melons for this recipe. Yellow watermelons, Sun and Moon heirloom watermelon, Santa Claus melon, and cantaloupe would all be delicious.
Heirloom tomato varieties: Use any variety of heirloom tomatoes for this recipe. Mix and match with different colors like Green Zebra, Red Zebra, or Purple Cherokee. Choose what is in-season at the farmer’s market.
Stretch this meal: To make this a heartier entrée, add some healthy plant-based carbs. Boiled fingerling potatoes, chickpeas, brown lentils, cooked quinoa, and roasted red potatoes would all be delicious!
Sherry vinegar: Sherry vinegar has a slightly sweet, oaky flavor. Because it is blended and aged, it is reminiscent of wine. It is less sweet than balsamic and more complex than red wine vinegar. It’s a traditional ingredient for Tomato Gazpacho and Chimichurri sauce. Yet, you can use it to replace red wine or balsamic vinegar in salad dressings, marinades, and sauces.
Oil-Free: I’m on a mission to get rid of empty calories, like those found in refined oils. This salad skips the oil for a simple splash of vinegar. Toasted pine nuts add richness. You don’t need the oil in this recipe. There’s plenty of delicious, natural flavor from the beautiful, fresh ingredients!
Watermelon Heirloom Tomato Salad (Oil-Free, Vegan)
Easy | Servings: 4 | Ready In: 10 minutes | Yield: 6 cups
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Watermelon Heirloom Tomato Salad (Oil-Free, Vegan)
Ingredients
- ½ cup pine nuts toasted
- 4 cups cubed watermelon about ½ a small, seedless watermelon
- 2 medium heirloom tomatoes cubed
- 2 teaspoons Sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint torn
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- To toast the pine nuts: Place the pine nuts on a baking pan. Toast in a 350F oven for 4-5 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic. Remove from the oven and let cool. You can also toast the pine nuts on the stove top. Place them in a small, dry pan (no oil needed). Toast over medium heat 4-5 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic, stirring every 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- To make the Oil-Free, Vegan Watermelon Heirloom Tomato Salad (Oil-Free, Vegan): In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Gently toss, using your hands. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 4.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 121 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 6 g | 10 % |
| Saturated Fat 0 g | 2 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 2 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 3 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 77 mg | 3 % |
| Potassium 221 mg | 6 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 16 g | 5 % |
| Dietary Fiber 1 g | 6 % |
| Sugars 12 g | |
| Protein 3 g | 5 % |
| Vitamin A | 28 % |
| Vitamin C | 41 % |
| Calcium | 1 % |
| Iron | 5 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
Shopping and Gear List
- Columela Sherry Vinegar (Solera 3) Reserva, 12-Ounce
- Raw Pine Nuts 1 LB (Whole and Natural) NO PPO
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