The Spicy Spatula

You all know that I am a big, big fan of salads. Toss’em with noodles, rice, bulgur, couscous, mushrooms or your favorite vegan meat alternative. Add a vinaigrette or a creamy vegan yogurt salad dressing and I am a happy camper.

After a couple hours spent playing tennis, I wanted something nutritious and satisfying, but substantial enough to maintain all the calories burnt while channeling my inner Serena Williams. This salad totally fit the bill!

Recently I came across this gorgeous looking recipe when I was scrolling on Pinterest (yes people still do that) and I knew that I was going to find a way to veganize it. It was so gorgeous with bright, vibrant spring colors, lots of veggies which means lots of nutrients and so simple it was irresistible.

I know that salads, particularly vegan salads, often get a bad rap but the truth is that salads are healthy pizza. What did I just say? You heard me. People always say that pizza is the perfect food because it combines all the food groups but…have you ever heard of a salad? You get tons of vegetables either raw or cooked, or raw and cooked, grains, beans or vegan meat alternatives, fruit and vegan salad dressing! That’s like everything except dessert.

And this one is wonderful so let’s stop talking about and just get to making this vegan Spring Salad. No fancy name, just simple vegan goodness.

Kitchen Tools:

*Baking sheet silicon or Teflon
*Mixing bowls
*Salad tongs
*Chopping board

Ingredients:

You can choose your favorite Spring veggies based on what’s available locally but this is my list:
*Baby carrots
*Asparagus
*Baby potatoes
*Green olives (I used the ones stuffed with garlic)
*Vegan yogurt
*Radishes
*Shallots
*Capers
*Mustard
*Apple cider vinegar

Instructions:

*Preheat oven to 200c/400F

*Rinse and dry all veggies

*Fill a pot with water and potatoes, bring to a boil for about 8 to 10 minutes

*Season carrots and place them on a baking sheet for 10 minutes.

*While everything else is going, chop radishes and shallots into inform pieces and place in a mixing bowl with the capers.

*Dressing: Whisk together vegan yogurt, mustard, vinegar, herbs & spices and use about 1/2 for the radish salad.

*When the potatoes are ready, drain and place in a mixing bowl to season and toss, then place them in the oven with the carrots for another 10 minutes.

*In the same pot, bring more water to a boil and drop the asparagus, boiling for 3 minutes.

*Toss asparagus with salt, garlic and lemon juice and plate it, along with the rest of the spring vegetables. Drizzle with the remaining vegan dressing.

**Carrots may cook faster so you can wait until the potatoes go in to do them both!
**If you have fresh dill and parsley, this is a great place to use them or in the vegan salad dressing.

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