easy vegan salad

Asian Food, International vegan cuisine, oil free vegan recipes, Plant Based, Salads, Vegan

Easy Vegan Quick Pickled Wood Ear Mushrooms

Posted on February. 2023February. 2023 by writinstuff

Today’s recipe is one that I have grown totally obsessed with over the past two years and now whenever I find wood ear mushrooms, I have to get at least one package.

Have you ever had these or even heard of them? They are delicious and earthy with this beautiful deep brown color that makes them seem like they’re from another planet. I have had them at an Asian restaurant here or there but most of what I learned about how to prepare these came from good ol’ YouTube University.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy vegan salad, look no further than this pickled wood ear mushroom salad. It’s super refreshing and incredibly flavorful, and best of all? It goes on the side of pretty much anything and especially Asian style dishes.

The good thing about todays’ quick pickled vegan salad is that it is pretty dang easy and only requires a wee bit of patience. And other than the mushrooms, shouldn’t require you to venture outside of pantry and fridge staples.

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Bowls, Grains, Herbs, Plant Based, Salads, Vegan

Couscous & Tofu Salad w/Green Goddess Salad Dressing

Posted on September. 2021September. 2021 by writinstuff

It’s time for another vegan salad with all the delicious goodies you know and love, but this time the focus is on the vegan salad dressing.

Want a unique vegan salad? Check out my vegan sushi salad bowl recipe here!

When I first got on the Salad Train, I can admit that I wasn’t very imaginative, not with my ingredients and certainly not with healthy salad dressing options. I started with simple vinagrettes and then creamy dressings made with vegan yogurt, mustard and even Sriracha. But the oil is a real killer.

I know, I know, life isn’t just about calories. But when you’re trying to lose weight, which was my original goal, much of your eating life is about calories and oil comes in at 120 calories per tablespoon which is INSANE. Add in how much you need to use to make a proper vinaigrette and you can see why I started to explore other options.

So when the weather permits and when the supermarket or farmer’s market has them, I pile up on herbs. Dill, parsley, basil, mint, and pretty much whatever else green I can find. Except cilantro, it is not my jam and never has been.

So, let’s do this, shall we?

This is a hot & cold salad, which means you don’t need to cook everything but that also makes it versatile enough to eat during the hottest day of summer or as the autumn chill sets in.

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Bowls, Plant Based, Potatoes, Salads, Vegan

Spicy Soy & Steak Fries Salad

Posted on May. 2020May. 2020 by writinstuff

Any good relationship is about compromise, this is something we’ve all heard plenty of times and probably rolled our eyes at it more than a few times. But this is one of the truisms that helps in all relationships.

Take for example this quick and easy vegan meal I’m about to tell you about, it happened easily.

I planned to make salad for lunch because this was one of my workout days and therefore the best days to create the biggest calorie deficit I can while also eating and enjoying my whole life. I’m not at my weight loss goal yet but my husband is and before he knew what I had planned, he requested some type of fries.

Full disclosure: In my house our French fries are never fried. Always light coated in oil and baked in the oven, but still we call them Fries because calling them Bakeds would be weird.

So anyway, I said “sure” and this oddball vegan creation is what I came up with!

The ingredient list on this easy vegan meal is simple:

Lettuce

Tomato

Scallion

Cucumber

Potatoes

TVP

Pesto

Veggiegurt

Herbs & Spices

Of course you can always add anything else you like but last week my market was out of sprouts, artichoke hearts and radishes so I worked with what I had on hand.

Make the salad and toss all the ingredients together in a big bowl, using a little more than half of the basil pesto cream as the salad dressing. Plate it and then add the spicy TVP and French Fries on top, drizzling the remaining pesto cream on top for color and taste.

As long as you keep your serving size reasonable (400 grams of potatoes and 50 grams of TVP for 2 servings), this is a meal that can be healthy and indulgent at the same time.

What are your healthy hacks for cheat days?