Here in Canada when they say "heatwave" they describe temperatures that many of you around the world take for granted. 32 celcius is always threatened as dangerous here when it happens. They warn that young, old and animals should stay inside. Yesterday was the day of the heatwave.
We have finally moved completely to our new apartment. The arrangements that were made, not by us, for movers, paid for by the building that we left, were not understood. We moved the entire apartment on foot ourselves. We just begged the movers to take the couch and gave them a big fat tip. They were moving someone else so they had to quickly do this for us.
Now we are in a place without air conditioning and we have to pay for electricity ourselves. For this reason we had to eat lightly yesterday. Today has perfect weather.
I usually make a watermelon salad once a year. Even these melons are imported and expensive so I bought a quarter of one. I happen to love my watermelon savoury rather than on it's own.
I wasn't sure at first what dressing I would make but ended up with a sweet and tangy chili tamarind dressing.
Sweet and tangy chili tamarind dressing
3 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
1 tablespoon garlic
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sambal oleck
1/4 cup neutral oil
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup cane sugar
1/4 cup water
Saute garlic and chilies then add the other ingredients to dissolve the sugar. Add salt to your liking. Set aside to cool.
Salad ingredients
1/4 large watermelon
1/2 English cucumber
Handful of mint
Handful of cilantro
Fresh figs
1 fresh hot pepper (optional)
I sometimes keep the melon in big chunks but this time I opted for small dices. The same with the cucumber.
Originally I had planned to put some fresh red onion but with the dressing that had garlic and chili, I chose not to. I thought it may be too overpowering.
After mixing the ingredients gently I poured on the dressing and gently mixed.
After I tasted it I decided to give a generous sprinkle of sea salt and an extra squirt of lime.
The dressing was nice and spicy but I dared to add a hot pepper which I wasn't sure about at the beginning. Marc and I can handle spice so I put it in.
It seems clear that hot peppers are most popular in the hottest climates. Eating spice, makes you sweat which is what is needed in very hot weather.
I decided on not having a protein, such as tempeh, tofu or legumes. It doesn't hurt to take a break from those heavier items.
I happened to have a slab of guava paste in my fridge. I have never used this before but bought it on a whim a while back. I didn't know what to do with it. My Mexican manager told me that they often eat it with cream cheese.
I decided to combine some cashews and guava paste to make a guava cream spread.
The guava paste is quite sweet so I added lime juice and garlic to make it more savoury.
Guava cashew cream spread
2 cups soaked cashews
1/4 cup guava paste
2 cloves garlic
Juice of 2 limes
Salt to your liking
Blend the ingredients into a smooth paste. My food processor broke so I had to use a blender which is not ideal for this. I added a little cashew soaking water to get the blender to move.
This was originally going to be on a baguette but I decided to keep things healthier with some spelt bread from my favourite company.
I toasted them until they were crisp than cut them into cracker size pieces.
It was super tasty but I still put extra black pepper and chilies.
I decided to crush peanuts and sprinkle them on top of the melon salad along with toasted sesame seeds. These items really sealed the deal with the spicy dressing.
If you don't like spicy foods you could have just as a refreshing salad with a light vinaigrette or simply lime or lemon juice with salt.
You could say this was inspired by Asian and Mexican flavors. Those are two cultures that offer the things I love most. Spicy, sweet and savoury. I may have added a bit of Mediterranean with the figs and the mint. It's all good to me.
A light lunch goes a long way and makes you feel nourished and hydrated without the sacrifice of tasty fun.
Thanks for dropping by and have a great day.
design by: @KidSisters
You have the most amazing imagination with food combinations! Watermelon is plentiful here in summertime and we usually slice it and eat it as is. We also use the rind to make melon preserve, delicious but super sweet.
I would love to sit at your table for a taste sensation like this, it all looks delicious and so healthy too!
I know I always say it but...
Marc is a lucky man!
Thank you for so much credit but it's really a take on melon that is often eaten in Mexico with chili sauce and lime. I just made it more Asian. Thanks for your generous compliment.
I haven't done watermelon preserve but that's a consideration when they are in season here. 😊
As an Asian, the three flavors you offer in this recipe are spicy, sweet and savory, I really look for in every dish.
That's always what I like the best😊
Wow! Such intricate recipe and creation during a heat wave!! So yummy!! But leave the chili out! Please!
Ok haha no chili for you
Wow what a beautiful post. Love the recipes and the photos its made me very hungry.
I'm really enjoying all the plant-based ideas being shared on this platform. Very refreshing and its great to get new ideas. Thank you @carolynstahl 🙏
I love that you're exploring this platform. I thank you so much for your compliment!
Hi dear fried you have always very special way to make the combinations of ingredients and make the delicious recipes. this is very nice presentation for summer food. thanks for sharing.
I appreciate your lovely comment. Thank you my friend!😊
Hello dear friend @carolynstahl good afternoon
In many parts of the world the weather is extreme, it is very hot, and in winter places it is too cold.
I loved this recipe, fresh and healthy, ideal to face the heat wave
I appreciate that you share the recipe and the step by step
Oh hello and thank you for your kind words. I really would rather be in hot weather all the time than the four seasons that we have. It's much too cold haha.😊
The best to you my friend!
Thank you!
@tipu curate 🥬
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 45/55) Liquid rewards.
Thank you!
Thank you!
The guava salad looks delicious!
Thank you very much!
This salad is simply amazing. I would have never imagined such a super combination of exotic flavors grouped in the salad, the dressing and the spread on the bread. I take off my hat in front of you friend. I can buy all these ingredients here in Venezuela and they are not expensive. In fact, watermelon is available for approximately $0.2 per kilogram.
One question, is the tamarind concentrate with sugar or without sugar? here you can get it both ways and yes, just like the Mexican gentleman told you, guava paste can be eaten with cream cheese and crackers or bread or simply on its own. Also, subjected to heat to soften it, it can be used to fill a gypsy arm or a cake. Ahh I forgot there are also sweet breads stuffed with guava, in that case this pasta goes very well😜😁
I Wish I could get watermelon for that price. It's like a treat for me. Plus it's heavy to carry from the store haha.
I don't know much about guava but I think fresh guava is something to explore. It's expensive here.
I appreciate your kind comment very much. Thank you.😊
Yes, because it is a tropical country, all these fruits are cheap and perhaps the ones that are cheap there are expensive here. For example apples, pears, grapes, kiwis, blackberries among others are very expensive 🌸❤️
I forgot to mention that the tamarind concentrate was without sugar.
Thank you very much friend @carolynstahl
Haha... Here it's the other way around. When temperatures drop just under 20 they asked people to provide extra blankets for the elderly or make a fire to keep tbem warm. 32 is more or less the average temperature here.
Another beautiful, tummy dish. Love the tamarind dressing!
Have a beautiful day 💜
That looks good and delicious my dear friend.
Thank you so much my friend. I hope you are having a great day.
Hello Carolyn dear, you always come up with the most amazing vegan dish, look at that combination of the watermelon salad that looks so good! I once tried watermelon salad with just tomatoes and spring onions, kind of sweet sour. I might try this salad but I am not sure of the mint because I never tried the fresh ones.
How was the moving, completed already? I remember you said 1st of the month is the contract day in Canada. Hope you are fine now with the new abode.
We had a month to move and finished last week. We were promised payed movers from the building manager because they sold the building. They made a mistake and they didn't show. When we called the movers said they were not told about it until that day, and that they could not do it. We moved everything on foot including the bed. We just ask them to quickly move a sofa. It was 3 full days of work. Those were days off of actual work. Anyway it's finished so now I can relax a little more. It's a good thing we don't own many things haha.
Thank you so much my friend. Have a great day.
Ahhhh. but now that you´re done with the moving, let´s drink to that and say Cheers! Yeah, now you can relax and concentrate on cooking more to make us salivate! hahaha. Now that weekend comes, relax,relax and relax! Have a great day too dear friend.
Cheers!!!!!!😊
Incredible food