This is an easy, but tasty addition to any 4th of July picnic or potluck, but I also make this at home as a side dish for any Asian meal. I’m probably violating some international cooking code of conduct, but the Thai Coleslaw goes particularly well with Korean Stir-Fried Noodles (or any other Asian noodle dish). Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Salad Ingredients
1 small shredded cabbage
1 small thinly sliced red bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced snow peas
4 thinly sliced scallions (green onions)
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded
crushed peanuts
Dressing
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or more to taste.
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon tamari
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
juice of 1/2 lime
Combine cabbage, red bell pepper, snow peas, scallions and basil in a large mixing bowl. Toss to mix the vegetables.
Combine dressing ingredients in a small container and whisk for 1 minute to combine.
Drizzle sauce over veggies and toss to coat evenly. You might want to add a little more tamari and rice vinegar to taste depending the size of your cabbage.
Let stand at least 10 minutes or refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Toss again before serving and garnish with peanuts.
Buy the What Dawn Eats: Vegan food that isn’t weird cookbook for more recipes like this one.
Variations
- Use sesame seeds instead of peanuts or omit the nuts entirely for people with allergies.
- Replace snow peas and red bell pepper with other colorful vegetables (carrots, yellow / orange peppers, etc.)
- Use seedless cucumber or snap peas instead of the sliced snow peas.
- To make a low-sodium version, use unsalted nuts and replace the tamari with a little extra rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil.
- Can be easily made gluten-free.
More information for Thai Coleslaw recipe:
- Prep time: 20 min
- Cook time: 0 min
- Total time: 20 min
This is my standard summer salad when I want a light, quick lunch with vegetables and some protein. I usually make a batch of Italian Marinated Tempeh in advance and then have it available for a few salads throughout the week.
Makes 2 to 4 servings.
4 cups of lettuce or spinach
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 sliced tomato or cherry tomatoes
1/2 sliced avocado
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup Italian Marinated Tempeh
Annie’s Naturals Goddess Dressing to taste.
Toss the lettuce, carrots, tomato, pumpkin seeds and tempeh together. Top with sliced avocado and serve with Goddess Dressing.
Variations
- Use packaged tempeh bacon if you don’t want to make marinated tempeh.
- Avocado and tomatoes are great in the summer, but during the winter, you’ll want to experiment with other vegetables.
- Top with balsamic vinegar and olive oil or another favorite salad dressing, instead of Goddess Dressing.
- For a low-sodium version, use the low-sodium variation of the Italian Marinade and serve with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to replace the Goddess Dressing.
- Can be easily made gluten-free by choosing an appropriate salad dressing and brand of tempeh.
More information for Tempeh Salad recipe:
- Prep time: 5 min
- Total time: 5 min
This is one of my favorite potluck foods to bring when I know I won’t have many vegan choices, since it seems more like a real meal than a salad. Makes 8-10 servings.
Quinoa Ingredients
1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups water
Vegetable Ingredients
2/3 cup finely chopped sun dried tomato
1/3 cup kalamata olives, sliced
3/4 cup pine nuts (toasted)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Marinade Ingredients
1/3 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon agave nectar or sugar
1 – 2 cloves minced garlic
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
freshly ground coriander, to taste
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaf
1/3 of a minced medium red onion
Rinse the quinoa, then dry roast until you smell a nutty aroma while you boil the water in another pot. Add the boiling water to the quinoa, turn the flame down to a low simmer and place the lid on the pot. Cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for an additional 5 minutes with the lid on. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.
Combine ingredients for the marinade, pour over cooled quinoa and stir to mix. Add sun dried tomatoes, olives and pine nuts. Stir again. Cover and refrigerate 2-6 hours or more.
Before serving, cover the top with sliced cherry tomatoes.
Variations
- Add other chopped vegetables for variety.
- Use half white and half red quinoa for a more colorful salad.
- Can be easily made gluten-free.
- Omit the olives for a low-sodium version.
More information for Mediterranean Quinoa Salad recipe:
- Prep time: 15 min
- Cook time: 30 min
- Total time: 45 min
Nacho salads make a great and flexible quick meal that you can make based on what you have lying around unused in the refrigerator. This is one of our standby meals for when we have an extra avocado and not much time to spend on dinner. Makes 2 servings.
1 can vegan chili
2 -3 cups lettuce (not spinach*)
20 tortilla chips
10 cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
1/2 cup Mango Guacamole recipe
2 tablespoons vegan sour cream
2 tablespoons salsa
Heat the chili in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.
Get 2 salad bowls. Split the lettuce between the two bowls. Layer 10 tortilla chips on top of the lettuce in each bowl. Pour half of the chili (more or less to taste) over the chips. Add cherry tomatoes. Top with a dollop of salsa, guacamole and sour cream.
Variations
- Add a handful of grilled vegetables or grilled tofu.
- Add some hominy.
- Replace the chili with refried beans or black beans
- Use sliced avocado, instead of guacamole.
- For a low-sodium version, you could use black beans instead of chili and go light on the salsa and sour cream.
- Can be easily made gluten-free.
* Note: I avoid using spinach in this recipe. When you pour the chili on the salad, the spinach starts to cook and you end up with slightly slimy spinach instead of a crisp salad. Romaine is a good choice, but most lettuce will work just fine.
More information for Nacho Salad recipe:
- Prep time: 5 min
- Cook time: 5 min
- Total time: 10 min
This is a great late summer salad in Portland when the many fig trees spread throughout the city are covered in figs. Serves 2 as a main salad or 4 as a small side salad.
4 cups baby lettuce mix
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup hazelnuts
6 figs
balsamic vinegar and olive oil to taste.
Toss the lettuce and carrots to combine.
Slice the figs and arrange on the salad.
Lightly crush or chop the hazelnuts and sprinkle on top of the salad.
Serve with a good quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar that people can drizzle on their salad to taste.
Variations
- Use black figs if you can find them to add a nice color contrast.
- Experiment with different vegetables in place of or with the carrots.
- Portland is known for our abundant fig and hazelnut trees, but you can use almost any other fruit and nut combinations. Apple or pear and walnut, would be a good choice, too.
- Naturally low-sodium and gluten-free.
More information for Portland Fig and Hazelnut Salad recipe:
- Prep time: 10 min
- Total time: 10 min
Vegan Food That Isn't Weird
This is an easy, but tasty addition to any 4th of July picnic or potluck, but I also make this at home as a side dish for any Asian meal. I’m probably violating some international cooking code of conduct, but the Thai Coleslaw goes particularly well with Korean Stir-Fried Noodles (or any other Asian noodle dish). Makes 8 to 10 servings.
