Hey You!
So sorry I missed on yesterday’s post but I’ve been working so hard and I was really in need of a day off and I finally took one, but I forgot that there was nothing scheduled. Oopsie.
But to make up for it, I’m giving you more than one vegan recipe and one of my favorite things to eat: salad.
We’ve talked about this before, how much I enjoy a good vegan salad recipe, especially in summer when something fresh and crunchy is just what you need to satisfy your hunger and keep you nice and cool.
Salad Essentials
Ha, just kidding, there are no essentials, at least not as far as I’m concerned. Sure, you can always go with the oldie but goodie: lettuce, tomato and cucumber. But that’s so…basic.
Spice it up by switching up your leafy green choice. Swap out romaine for spinach or arugula. Trade your cherry tomatoes for heirloom or plum. Or go really wild, and use cabbage and bell peppers in your salad.
The point is that you are the captain of this salad ship and you get to choose what veggies make it onto your plate.
Salad Tools
So there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to vegan salad ingredients, but there are a few tools you’ll want to have handy to make the best salad you can.
Salad spinner: It seems so old school, I know, but nobody like soggy lettuce in their salad, right? Invest in a good one that can be pulled into parts so you can clean it easily. The dirt from salad can end up in all kinds of unfortunate places and you don’t want mold growing in those places.
Kitchen knife: Make sure it’s sharp enough to cut through cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes with ease.
Cutting board: Because you don’t want to slice up your table while feeding your body the nutrients it craves.
Large mixing bowl: Whether you use a mixing bowl or a salad bowl, you want something big enough to hold all of your vegan salad ingredients and toss it without spilling it all over the place.
Whisk (or jar): If you’re a fan of vinaigrette dressing you’ll want to use one or both of these vegan salad dressing methods. First, place all your salad dressing ingredients into a small bowl and whisk, set aside. Or place them all in a small jar, screw the cap on and shake like crazy. Same result, different methods.
Tongs: You can opt for the salad tongs but I use regular tongs because they’re dual purpose and don’t clutter up an already cluttered utensils drawer. Tossing the salad is easier with regular tongs, in my opinion, but you do you.
Now…on to the salads!
Peanut Butter Pasta Salad
I saw this one on Instagram and it looked too delicious not to try. Make your own pasta salad but use this peanut butter dressing instead of a vinaigrette or creamy vegan salad dressing. Add peanut butter, lime juice, hot sauce, grated ginger and a tablespoon of hot water. Whisk it until smooth and toss with the salad. For bonus points: garnish with roasted peanuts.
Mediterranean Celery & Olive Salad
This one is pretty different but light, refreshing and delicious on top of being easy to make. You’ll need thinly sliced celery, mint, parsley and roasted red peppers, but this is a fun twist on a vegan summer salad that’s made more delicious by the addition of olives, and vegan feta cheese (totally optional), of course!
Wood Ear Mushrooms & Cucumber
This one started out as Sunomono, a crispy cucumber salad but I wanted to make it a meal so I added wood ear mushrooms and a few other things, and served roasted TVP on the side for an easy vegan dinner.
Mushroom & Edamame Salad
This was one of those impromptu vegan salads that came out because it was just too hot to actually cook so I rehydrated TVP and put it in the oven along with some mushrooms, and then I promptly left the kitchen while they did their thing. And I only did that, after I chopped all the cold ingredients and left them until I was ready to assemble the salad. Easy, peasy.
This one has edamame beans, chickpeas, apple, napa cabbage, cucumber and carrots too!
And that’s all the salads you can eat in a week. What do you eat when it’s too hot to cook?
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