Salads are versatile and as easy to prepare as a bowl of crisp greens tossed with vinaigrette, or they can be more complex affairs with mixed greens, fruits, nuts, and croutons. Composed salads with edamame, apples, and beans or grains make a beautiful side dish, while chickpea and tofu salads can be turned into a sandwich filling or scooped onto a plate or into a bowl for a salad-plate entree. Dress salads lightly to avoid an abundance of dressing floating around in the bottom of the bowl. This enhances and brightens the salad and allows the flavor of the ingredients to shine through.
Recipes
Sweet and Spicy Chickpea Salad
Kale Salad with Ginger-Sesame Vinaigrette
Napa Cabbage Slaw with Sriracha Peanut Sauce
Apple and Celery Salad with Tahini Dressing
Bean Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
Spring Roll Salad with Sweet Chile Vinaigrette
When I buy a plastic “clamshell,” or box, of spring greens, baby spinach, or baby kale, I frequently see moisture in the box. Moisture is death to tender greens, causing slime and leaf decay. To maintain the freshness of the green, I open the box and place a single paper towel on top of the greens closed inside the box, which works wonders to absorb moisture and help keep the greens fresh. Another trick for freshness, after inserting the paper towel, is to flip the box and store the paper-towel-topped box of greens upside down. Any moisture on the lid is absorbed and any moisture on the greens flows toward the absorbent paper towel so the greens don’t sit in the moisture.
Makes 2 cups
Croutons are a joy to make and even better to eat. They are an excellent way to use day-old bread. While we generally think of croutons made with cubes of bread, croutons can also be made from slices of bread, for a flat crouton or “crostini.” To me, taking time to make croutons elevates the dish more than its ready-to-eat counterpart. Bread can be cut ahead of time to dry out a bit if desired. This is also a good use for day-old bread.
Ingredients:
2 cups bread cubes (from about 4 slices bread)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
In a bowl, toss the bread cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper. In a skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the seasoned bread cubes to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 to 12 minutes until the croutons are golden brown. Remove to a plate after cooking so they don’t burn.
Sweet and Spicy Curried Chickpea Salad
Serves 2
Refreshingly sweet and spicy, this chickpea salad is good on toasted whole-grain bread or on a bed of fresh baby spinach or salad greens. You may add ¼ cup of either Plant-Based Mayonnaise, page 48, if desired, for a more creamy salad. Save the chickpea liquid to make a batch of Plant-Based Mayonnaise 1.
Ingredients:
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
½ cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon curry powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
In a bowl mix the chickpeas, raisins, olive oil, brown sugar, curry powder, cayenne pepper, mint, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Serve at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator.
Makes about 2 ½ cups
Scoop this eggless salad onto whole-grain or gluten-free bread, or serve it on a bed of fresh lettuce or baby spinach. You will need either Plant-Based Mayonnaise, page 48, for this salad, or you may choose to use another plant-based mayonnaise of your choice, with readily available egg-free commercial mayonnaise.
Ingredients:
One 14-ounce box extra-firm tofu, drained
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup Plant-Based Mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon dill weed
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
Crumble the tofu into a fine-mesh strainer. With your hands or a silicone spoon or spatula, press the excess moisture out of the crumbled tofu. Let drain in the strainer while you prepare the other ingredients.
In a bowl, combine the celery, green onion, “mayonnaise,” mustard, turmeric, dill weed, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Add the crumbled tofu and stir well to combine. Serve immediately or store, covered, in the refrigerator.
Tips for Tossing Salads
I like to use a two-stage approach to add vinaigrette to a salad so that the heavy ingredients don’t sink to the bottom of the bowl. To do this first place the greens on the serving platter or in a serving bowl. Drizzle the greens with half of the vinaigrette and toss gently. Then, scatter the toppings over the greens, but don’t toss them in. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette. Now, your greens are dressed and your toppings are on top where they belong!
Serves 2 to 3
Warm white beans pair beautifully with lemon zest, fresh tomatoes, and mint for a simple entrée or side salad. You can’t go wrong if you serve this bean salad with warm or grilled whole-grain bread and a variety of olives.
Ingredients:
One 15-ounce can great northern beans, drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked beans
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
Directions:
Drain beans in a colander and rinse well.
In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook for 6 minutes until softened and starting to brown. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, tomato, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook gently for about 5 minutes to soften the garlic and tomatoes and blend the flavors.
Remove from the heat and fold in the beans and fresh mint. Move to a serving bowl and serve warm or at room temperature.
Tamari is a thick brown sauce made from soybeans. Generally wheat free, though not always, tamari has very few ingredients. It can be used in place of soy sauce in recipes. This is my sauce of choice in recipe where soy sauce is used.
Massaged Kale
Learning how to massage kale, and more importantly why to massage kale, changed the way I feel about kale salads. Fresh kale can be tough and hard to chew and digest. Rubbing olive oil and salt into the chopped kale leaves softens them, breaks down the tough fibers, and turns the kale a beautiful deep green color. To prepare the kale for massaging, rinse and dry the kale leaves. Remove the tough stems and cut the kale into bite-sized pieces. Place the kale leaves in a bowl, and rub the olive oil and salt into the leaves for about one to two minutes. Let the leaves sit while preparing the other ingredients.
Kale Salad with Ginger-Sesame Vinaigrette
Serves 4
Massage the cleaned and chopped kale with olive oil and salt to soften the kale and prepare it for this beautiful kale salad. This step of massaging is transformative to the kale, and you and your kale salads will never be the same! Alternatively, if you’re not into massaging kale, you can substitute six cups of baby kale or baby spinach.
Salad ingredients:
1 large bunch green or purple kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cucumber, peeled
1 cup chopped red cabbage
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup almond slices, toasted
Ginger sesame vinaigrette ingredients:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root or ginger paste
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Remove stems from the kale. Wash leaves well and spin to dry or roll them in a clean kitchen towel to absorb excess water. Stack the clean leaves and tightly roll into a long tube. With a sharp knife, cut the leaves into thin slices. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with olive oil and salt. With your hands, massage the oil and salt into the kale leaves for about 1 minute. Let sit while you prepare other ingredients and the vinaigrette.
Slice the cucumber in half and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Cut into slices.
To make the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a blender or shake well in a jar.
Place kale in a shallow serving bowl or platter. Toss with half of the vinaigrette. Top with cucumber, red cabbage, dried cranberries, and almond slices. Drizzle with remaining Ginger Sesame Vinaigrette and serve.
Fresh Herb Storage
Store fresh herbs such as bunches of dill, parsley, and cilantro in the refrigerator. When I buy fresh dill, cilantro, and parsley, I wrap the bunches in a paper towel when I get home from the supermarket and place the wrapped bunch in a plastic bag. I leave the bag open and refrigerate. Fresh basil does better stored at room temperature. I only buy quantities of basil I can use quickly, as the leaves tend to wilt or brown easily. If I have large quantites of fresh basil, I make pesto. On all herbs, watch for mold or brown spots. If these develop, the herb is deteriorating.
Serves 4
For best results, toss the salad with the vinaigrette just before serving. One cup of any cooked grain, such as brown rice, can be used in place of the quinoa.
Ingredients:
½ cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup water
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 cups baby arugula
2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
To prepare quinoa, place dry/uncooked quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Rinse under cold water for 1 minute to remove a coating on the quinoa that can cause stomach upset or bitterness. Place the rinsed quinoa in a small saucepan and add 1 cup water. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until the water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and move to a plate to cool.
Meanwhile, wash the blueberries and thinly slice the arugula. In a serving bowl whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Gently fold in the cooled quinoa, blueberries, and arugula.
Serves 6 to 8
Create a high-protein twist on carrot raisin salad: add green soybeans, or edamame. Then dress the vegetables with a light lemon vinaigrette instead of mayonnaise. Edamame is sold frozen in the pod, or out of the pod. For this recipe, you want to use the shelled (out of the pod) edamame.
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups frozen shelled edamame
½ cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley
¾ cup golden raisins
Directions:
Place edamame in a microwave-safe dish or small saucepan. Add ½ inch of water and cover. Either cook in a microwave oven on high power for 5 minutes, or bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Drain before using.
In a small skillet, toast the almonds over low heat. Remove to a plate to cool.
Meanwhile, in a bowl whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, honey, olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper. Fold in the carrots, parsley, raisins, and cooled edamame. Top with sliced, toasted almonds and serve.
Napa Cabbage Slaw with Sriracha Peanut Sauce
Makes 6 cups
Napa cabbage has beautiful crinkly leaves and a mild flavor. Three cups of green or red cabbage, or slaw mix, can be substituted.
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen shelled edamame
3 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage
1 cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into half moons
1 carrot, peeled and grated
2 green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, mint, or basil
Optional: ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
Sriracha Peanut Sauce, page 55
Directions:
Place edamame in a microwave-safe dish or small saucepan. Add ½ inch of water and cover. Either cook in a microwave oven on high power for 5 minutes, or bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Drain before using.
In a bowl, mix the cooled edamame, cabbage, cucumber, carrot, green onion, cilantro, and optional almonds.
Mix half of the peanut sauce into the prepared vegetables. Toss to blend with the dressing. Add more if desired.
Fresh Herbs
If you want to elevate your cooking, use fresh herbs to finish a dish. Parsley, cilantro, basil, rosemary, and mint can’t be beat when finely chopped and used to finish a dish. I rarely use fresh herbs while cooking a dish. In cooking, dried thyme, oregano, dill, and basil work just fine.
Serves 4
This fresh salad with a beautiful green herb vinaigrette makes a nice accompaniment to Barbecue Lentils, page 126, or Kidney Bean Burgers, page 148. It can be prepared ahead and refrigerated until served.
Ingredients:
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced and soaked in water
¼ cup capers
⅓ cup Fresh Herb Vinaigrette, page 52
Directions:
In a bowl mix together the cucumber, tomatoes, olives, red onion, and capers. Mix in the vinaigrette and serve.
Soaking Red Onion
There’s no doubt that on salads and sandwiches, red onion’s color adds appeal. Red onion, on the other hand, can have a very sharp, oniony taste that lingers. When I use red onion in salads, I soak raw slices in water for fifteen minutes before adding it to salads, or I pickle a jar of red onions to have on hand. Here’s my super-easy pickled onion recipe: page 18.
Apple and Celery Salad with Tahini Dressing
Serves 4
This spin on Waldorf salad is made egg-free and more modern with a creamy tahini dressing, and walnuts, capers, and golden raisins. Toss the apples with the dressing just before serving to prevent the apples from browning.
Ingredients:
2 Golden Delicious apples, cored and thinly sliced
3 ribs celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons water
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons golden raisins
Directions:
Mix together the apples and celery in a bowl. Whisk together the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Combine the dressing with the apples and celery. Stir in the walnuts, capers, and raisins. Serve pretty soon after mixing in the dressing, because the apples may turn brown if left exposed to air too long.
Bean Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
Serves 4 to 6
This is a nice salad to make with leftover rice, wheat berries, or quinoa. If you need to cook the grain, start with 2/3 cup of uncooked rice or quinoa or one cup uncooked wheat berries to yield two cups of cooked grain for the salad. For best results, add the dressing just before serving the salad.
Ingredients:
¼ cup finely diced red onion, soaked in water
One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed, or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
One 15-ounce can red, or kidney beans drained and rinsed, or 1 ½ cups cooked red or kidney beans
2 cups cooked brown rice, wheat berries, or quinoa
½ cup diced roasted red pepper
½ cup fresh cilantro ¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
2 tablespoons honey
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
¾ teaspoon cumin
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Soak chopped red onion in a bowl of warm water.
In a serving bowl, mix the beans, cooked rice or wheat berries, roasted red pepper, and cilantro.
In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, honey, garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Combine the dressing with the bean mixture. Drain and add the red onion. Serve at room temperature.
Spring Roll Salad with Sweet Chile Vinaigrette
Serves 6
This fresh salad contains ingredients found in Vietnamese spring rolls. The greens and vegetables are tossed with a sweet vinaigrette that is similar to a spring roll dipping sauce. The trio of fresh herbs make the salad complete, but if desired, you can use only cilantro and/or basil depending on the availability of mint and other herbs. For a hit of protein, add Pan-Fried Tofu, page 157.
For best results, toss the lettuce and herbs with the vinaigrette just before serving. I like to arrange the remaining “heavy” vegetables, such as red pepper, cucumber, and carrot, on top of the dressed greens and drizzle them with vinaigrette. If the “heavy” vegetables are tossed in with the greens, they invariably sink to the bottom of the bowl.
Fresh ginger makes all the difference here. Use either peeled and grated fresh ginger root, or fresh ground ginger paste sold in tubes or small bottles in the produce section.
Salad ingredients:
1 romaine heart or small head Butter or Bibb Lettuce, cleaned and torn into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced or cut into strips
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
½ cup fresh mint, chopped
½ cup fresh basil, chopped
Optional: fresh mung bean sprouts
Optional: Pan-Fried Tofu
Sweet chile vinaigrette ingredients:
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice (from about 1-2 limes)
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root or ginger paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sriracha
Directions:
Have all salad ingredients ready.
In a small bowl, combine the water, vinegar, and honey. Whisk just to combine and dissolve the honey. Whisk in the oil, lime juice, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sriracha, and combine until well blended.
On a platter or in a bowl, place the lettuce. Drizzle with half of the vinaigrette and toss. Mix in the herbs and a bit more vinaigrette and toss. Top with red pepper, carrot, and cucumber, but don’t toss. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette. Top with optional mung bean sprouts or Pan-Fried Tofu if desired.
