Try out these salads...bean, kale, broccoli, slaw and more!

Taco Salad

A simple salad that's filling enough to stand on its own!

  • Vegan ground beef crumbles, cooked in fry pan
  • 1 can of black beans, drained
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Packet of taco seasoning (or use chili and cumin to taste)
  • Romaine lettuce and/or spinach, chopped
  • Chopped tomatoes, peppers and onions
  • 1 can corn, drained
  • Avocado
  • A mixture of 1000 Island dressing and salsa, make it however spicy you want with the salsa
  • Grated cheese (optional)
  • Taco chips, broken into pieces
  1. Cook vegan ground beef in fry pan.
  2. Add black beans, cilantro and the taco seasoning, and stir until heated.
  3. Chop the vegetables.
  4. Toss in the corn, avocado and dressing.
  5. At the last minute, add the meat mixture and chips. Serve immediately!

Mom's Salsa Slaw

I first made this slaw when we were on vacation and I had to get rid of all my leftovers on the last day. Now we eat it all the time! You can scale this down to make 1/4 bag of slaw, and the slaw will stay good a long time.

  • 1/2 bag of pre-shredded coleslaw (with red/green cabbage and carrots)
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 can black beans, drained
  • Cilantro, chopped
  • Salsa
  • Thousand Island dressing
  • Chili powder and salt, to taste
  1. Combine the slaw, tomatoes, beans and cilantro.
  2. Make the dressing by combining the salsa, 1000 Island dressing and spices to taste. Extra salsa gives a nice spicy flavor to this salad.
  3. Toss and let sit for a few minutes for the flavors to blend.

BBQ Slaw

This is a yummy way to eat coleslaw, and super fast to make. As you can see, the amounts are whatever you like!

  • Pre-shredded coleslaw (with red/green cabbage and carrots)
  • Corn
  • Black beans
  • Chopped kale
  • Ranch dressing
  • BBQ Sauce
  1. I prefer to chop the coleslaw a little finer, but this is optional.
  2. Make the dressing by mixing the Ranch with the BBQ sauce. Typically I use a lot more BBQ than Ranch!
  3. Toss everything together.

Asian Cucumber Salad

This is a super simple and very refreshing side salad. I use the mini cucumbers, since they're practically seedless, small when sliced and the skin is tender so you won't even contemplate peeling them. Just eye-ball the ingredients to make it just the way you like it!

  • 1 lb. cucumber, sliced
  • 1/4 medium red onion, cut into thin slices
  • 2 green onions
  • 1 avocado, peeled and chopped (optional)
  • 1/4 cup crushed peanuts
  • 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 1 TBSP sesame seeds or pine nuts
Dressing:
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp Bragg's liquid aminos
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  1. Thinly slice cucumber, about 1/8 of an inch thickness. Place cucumber in a large bowl, add salt and toss. Set aside.
  2. In the meantime, combine lemon juice, maple syrup, sesame oil, liquid aminos and garlic. Mix well.
  3. Drain liquid from cucumber. Add red onion, green onion and avocado.
  4. Toss with the dressing. Keep refrigerated.
  5. Garnish with crushed peanuts, cilantro and sesame seeds/pine nuts.

Black Bean Salad

So this salad is definitely for anyone who loves black beans like I do! I eat this for lunch with a slice or two of watermelon, or with my favorite veggie sandwich.

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup sugar (or less; add 1 tbsp at a time)
  • 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 lb. Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1 15-oz can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained (if you can’t find this, use your favorite beans)
  • 1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15-oz can super sweet corn, drained
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro (just used a single bunch from the grocery store)
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sugar vinegar and spices.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine.
  3. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight to blend flavors.

Fresh Kale Salad

I tasted this salad at a company potluck, and even though I'm not a fan of kale salad, I found this to be delicious and enjoyed the lemon zing! My co-worker is health-conscious and grows kale in his garden. So his recipe calls for lacinato kale, but works well with any of the more tender, delicate kale. When my hubby planted way too much Red Russian kale, it worked really well with this recipe!

Servings: 2

  • 1 bunch of lacinato (dinosaur) kale, stems removed, rinsed and patted dry
  • 1/3 cup golden raisins (or other raisins), or finely chopped apple
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 TBSP grated raw parmesan cheese (or vegan equivalent)
  1. In a food processor (or by hand), process kale into small chopped pieces.
  2. To make dressing, stir lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper together in a large bowl.
  3. Add chopped kale, currants, pine nuts and parmesan to the dressing.
  4. Stir all ingredients together and serve.

Broccoli Raisin Salad

The cashew dressing is creamy, nutty and delicious and is what makes this broccoli salad great!

Servings: 6

  • 6 cups broccoli (two small to medium sized crowns), chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Cashew Dressing:

  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 1-2 hours
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1-1/2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
  • 1 TBSP lemon juice
  • 1 TBSP maple syrup (or honey)
  • 1 TBSP shallot, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  1. Make dressing by combining all ingredients in a high powered blender or processor until completely smooth.
  2. Mix together broccoli, raisins, red onion and sunflower seeds.
  3. Top with dressing and combine until all ingredients are covered.

Joan's Broccoli Madness Salad

Our neighborhood Souplantation restaurant was a weekly destination for our family while the kids were growing up. And we all loved their Joan's Broccoli Madness salad! So I've put the recipe here just so it's easy for me to find.

I've made some minor tweaks to make it vegan...and it's still just as delicious!

Serves: 6 - 8

  • 1 bunch broccoli, uncooked and cut into florets
  • 1/2 cup soy bacon bits
  • 1/2 cup cashews or walnuts
  • 1/3 cup golden raisins
  • 1/4 cup red onion, chopped

Dressing:

  • 1 cup dairy-free mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
  1. Mix the broccoli, bacon bits, nuts, raisins and onion in a large bowl.
  2. In a second bowl, mix dressing ingredients together until smooth.
  3. About 10 minutes before serving, toss the salad with the dressing to allow flavors to meld.

Thanksgiving Salad

This salad is great all year round, but the fresh cranberries make it a very refreshing side-dish for Thanksgiving. My local grocery stores only sell fresh cranberries during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season, so I make sure to buy a few extra bags for my freezer to enjoy the rest of the year.

You can make this salad with pre-shredded coleslaw, with Romaine lettuce, or any combination of your favorite greens. You'll notice that I didn't specify a quantity for the greens since I usually make the filling and then add just enough greens to make it look good!

Note that the cranberries need to be made the night before, or at least two hours ahead of time.

  • 1-1/2 cup fresh cranberries, thawed if frozen
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1/4 cup sliced scallions
  • Fresh Italian parsley (flat-leaf)
  • Honey mustard dressing, amount to taste
  • Your choice of greens, chopped (see above)
  1. In your food processor, pulse the raw cranberries until they are coarsely chopped. Transfer them to a bowl and stir in the sugar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
  2. In a medium bowl, add the cranberries, walnuts, scallions, parsley and dressing. Stir thoroughly to coat.
  3. When ready to eat, add the greens to the mixture and toss. Serve and enjoy!