Spicy Vegan Watermelon Salad with Corn Nuts and Basil

Step 1

Place the ground chilies and ground black pepper in a small bowl. In a small skillet or saucepan, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, pour it over the chilies and pepper. Give it a little stir. Let it cool for 5 minutes. Then, add the lime zest, lime juice, maple syrup, Tamari, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.

Step 2

In a food processor, grind up the corn nuts until they’re finely chopped. Set aside.

Step 3

Build the salad. Arrange the chopped watermelon on a large platter. Drizzle half of the dressing over the watermelon and sprinkle a bit of flaky sea salt.

Step 4

Over the watermelon, scatter the halved cherry tomatoes, red onion slices, diced avocado, sliced Fresno chili, and sliced basil. Drizzle the remaining dressing over top and season with flaky salt again. Finally, sprinkle the ground up corn nuts over top and finish with some more lime zest if you like. Enjoy immediately!