Salad Tutorial from Mrs. Plant

Making a healthy and satiating salad is done with a conscious effort. I try to have a 2-quart salad a minimum of FIVE times a week. Here are some of the deliberate decisions I make when I make my salads to make sure they are life-giving and nutritionally sound.
NOTE: My salads are 100% animal-free, made without dairy, eggs, or any other animal products.

Bowl Size:
I use a two quart-sized bowl for my salads. The ones I love came from Amazon. I bought this set of 2 porcelain bowls, and they are still like new even though I use them daily! I make sure to fill the bowl to the top first with greens -- Romaine or red-leaf lettuce, spinach, kale, or whatever I feel like for the day.

Greens:
As I mentioned above, I fill the 2-quart bowl with a mixture of greens or just Romaine lettuce, which is my fave. I chop it all into bite-sized pieces--not really super small like some people do. I think I get plenty of greens in this bowl without having to chop it into itty bitty pieces. I usually wash, spin to dry, and store lettuce for 2 days of salads at a time, leaving the top slightly open to keep them from getting soggy or turning pink. You can also use lettuce that is already washed, dried, and pre-cut in bags from your favorite grocery store. Whatever gets you to eat greens is the right way!

Cruciferous:
In order to get some cruciferious veggies into my salad, I generally add some shredded red cabbage (about 1/4 cup). However, you could add raw or cooked broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, or any other cruci-veg you like!

Veggies and Fruits:
I always make sure to add lots of chopped veggies and fruits with PLENTY OF COLOR. EAT THE RAINBOW! Tri-colored bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, and so forth. One of my faves is oil-free roasted, cooled, and chopped beets! Leftover roasted veggies that have been cooled in the fridge are also delightful added to a salad. I also love to add berries, chopped mango, or fruits like chopped apple or pear with the peel left on, or the sections of a couple of cutie oranges. If I don't add the fruit into my salad, I eat if after I finish my salad as my dessert (like a big apple or orange, or a bowl of melon).

Legumes:
I will also add 1/4 cup of oil-free (usually homemade) hummus, or 1/2-3/4 cup of cooked and cooled beans, lentils, or green peas. Legumes are full of healthy protein, low in fat, have the helpful resistant starch that our bodies need to slow down the absorption of glucose into the blood stream, plus LOTS of fabulous fiber! Fiber helps make you feel full and is crucial to keep you "regular" daily. 😊

Starch:
I don't always add starch into my salads, but a 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa, brown rice, farro, or other grains can be a delicious addition to a salad because it will add a new texture that makes your salad more interesting. Most of the time, I eat my starch on the side, like a small baked sweet potato  or some air-fried potato "fries" (about 200 grams).

Whole Plant Fats:
I like to top my salad with a nut or seed-based homemade dressing. This is where I get about 1/2 of my whole plant fat calories for the day. I especially love Spicy Peanut dressing (recipe below)! If the salad is more of a Mexican style, I may use salsa for the dressing and top with 1/4 of a chopped avocado or a scoop of guacamole. If the dressing is more of a vinaigrette, I will add 1 T of pumpkin seeds or chopped dry-roasted almonds or peanuts. You can also add sunflower seeds or other nuts and seeds that you like. Some people also add their daily 1 T of ground flaxseeds into their salad if they didn't get it into their breakfast. I usually get mine in during breakfast, so I rarely add it to my salad. Occasionally, I add some chopped olives to my salad, as well.

Fermented Vegetables:
I almost always add 1-2 T of garlicky sauerkraut (store-bought or homemade) to my salad or kimchi, if I have some available. Fermented veggies are great for positive gut health.

Salad Dressing:
Salad dressing is what keeps us coming back to salads, no? I just know that for me, really good salad dressing seems to be necessary to get me to consistently eat my produce. So, check out my oil-free salad dressings section of my website, or consider buying High Carb Hannah's "Let's Get Saucy" eBook or Dreena Burton's Oil-Free Dressings eBook.

My Favorite Spicy Peanut Salad Dressing:
2 scoops (or 1/4 cup) of Naked PB Peanut Powder (no salt, oil, or sugar added -- Non-GMO)
1 T tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
1/2-1T Sriracha sauce
1/2-1T date syrup, maple syrup, or agave
1/4 t ground ginger
1/4 t garlic powder or 1 small clove of crushed garlic
cold water to thin out


Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.

Peanut Soba Noodle Salad [oil-free, vegan]

NOTE: It is best to make the dressing at least an hour ahead of time, so it is chilled before serving. You can also prepare all of the veggies beforehand and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

1 head of Napa cabbage, sliced into thin ribbons
1/4 of a red cabbage, sliced into thin ribbons
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips, then cut into thirds
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, sliced into thin strips, then cut into thirds
2 spiralized or shredded carrots
2 green onions, chopped (both white and green portion)
1 cup of cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
8 oz. of Soba noodles, cook according to package directions, rinse with cold water and set aside
Sriracha sauce (optional)
Toasted sesame seeds and more cilantro to garnish

Dressing:
4 T of peanut butter powder (Naked PB is my favorite brand because it is salt, oil, and sugar-free)
3-4 T maple syrup (start with 3 and make sure it's sweet enough for you)
1-2 T cold water
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
1 t dark sesame oil (optional, but used for flavor)

Mix and chill the dressing in the fridge.
Prepare all of the veggies. These can be done in advance and stored in containers.
Fifteen minutes before you are ready to eat, cook Soba noodles according to package directions, then rinse with cold water and set aside.
In each bowl, add Napa as a base. Then, place a serving of cool Soba noodles on top of the Napa Cabbage. Add the bell peppers, carrots, red cabbage, green onions, and cilantro on top of the noodles. Drizzle dressing and Sriracha sauce (if desired) over the salad and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and more cilantro.

Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required. 

The Creamiest, Garlickyest, Deliciousest Hummus

This amazingly delicious hummus came from a recipe in High Carb Hannah's new "Let's Get Saucy"eBook. It's called "Traditional Hummus" and PEOPLE, it is PLANTASTIC!

Check out her eBook with more than 55 oil-free, dairyfree,wholefoods sauces, dips, and dressings recipes at my affiliate link:
Bit.ly/mpsaucy2
Use the code MRSPLANT for 10% off!

"Let's Get Saucy" HARD COPY is now AVAILABLE!

High Carb Hannah's NEWEST "Let's Get Saucy"book is NOW AVAILABLE in a hard-copy version! Includes over 55 AMAZINGLY TASTY junk-free, oil-free, dairy-free sauces and dressings!

Hard Copy Version:

You can also purchase this cookbook in an eBook form:
bitly.mpsaucy2
Use the code MRSPLANT for 10% off the eBook price!

Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required. 

DISCOUNT on High Carb Hannah's NEW "Let's Get Saucy" eBook!

Aren't we always looking for healthy sauces and dressings free of oil and junk to add to our meals? The LONG-AWAITED "Let's Get Saucy" eBook by the beautiful HIGH CARB HANNAH is OUT!

I am thrilled to be a part of the launch of this eBook because I have had the pleasure of trying many of these delicious recipes in advance and know you're going to be THRILLED with them! There are over 50 recipes--many of which she gives you a RICH version and a SKINNY version, depending on your preference.

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Asian Cruciferous Salad

Dr. Greger from NutritionFacts.org always recommends eating your daily dose of cruciferous veggies, and this salad makes it EASY! Super delicious!

1 bag of coleslaw mix
1/2 bunch of Lacinato kale, chopped finely
1 large pear, chopped
chopped dry-roasted peanuts  or lightly-toasted almonds
green onions, chopped
sesame seeds, optional

Dressing (will last for several salads):
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 T golden balsamic vinegar (or other vinegar you like)*
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2-3 T of date syrup (or blend all of the dressing ingredients in a cup blender with dates to sweeten)


Mix slaw mix, kale, pears, and peanuts in a large bowl.
Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, and date syrup for the dressing.
Drizzle some dressing on the salad, tossing it well as you do. There should be plenty of extra dressing for one or two more salads.


* This is the one I used:

http://www.napavalleynaturals.com/Organic-Golden-Balsamic-Vinegar/p/NVN-GOLD&c=NapaValleyNaturals@BalsamicVinegars

Kale Waldorf Salad

This salad is seriously one of the best I've EVER tasted! I love the combination of crispy and sweet (but NO SUGAR OR SWEETENERS added other than fruit!) with the kale. FABULOUS. 

1 bunch lacinato kale, chopped (or you can replace this with Romaine or other lettuce)
1 Fuji apple, chopped and divided in half
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 T walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup raisins

Dressing:
Other 1/2 of apple, listed above
1-2 medjool dates pitted
2 T dijon mustard
1 T red wine vinegar
2 (or more) T  water
1/8 t salt

In a large bowl, toss the kale, 1/2 diced apple, walnuts, celery, and raisins until well combined.
In a cup blender, blend the other half of the apple with the dates, mustard, vinegar, water, and salt to make the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to combine. Serve!

Modified from original recipe: https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/kale-waldorf-salad

Sweet and Spicy Asian Dressing

1 Asian pear, peeled and core removed
1/4 cup of almond butter
2 T fresh lime juice
1 T Sriracha sauce
1 T lite soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos
3-4 T water
1 t sweetener (optional)

Blend until smooth and chill before serving.

Curried Mango-Hemp Dressing

3 Medjool dates, soaked in 1/4 cup hot water, then pitted
1 ripe Ataulfo mango, peeled and seed removed
1 clove of garlic
1/2 t. crushed ginger
1 t curry powder (I like Trader Joe's best)
3 T hemp seeds
1/4 t salt
1 T lemon juice
2 T rice wine vinegar
3/4 cup cold water

Add all ingredients to the blender PLUS the 1/4 cup of water used to soak the dates. Blend until smooth. Chill before using.

Spicy Peanut-Lime Slaw Dressing

Makes 2 cups of dressing

1 Asian pear (looks like an apple), cored
¼ cup Naked PB Peanut Butter Powder (no salt, oil, or sugar added)
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 dates, pitted and chopped
1 T. sriracha sauce (more or less to taste)
1/8 t. salt
water to thin to desired consistency

Blend all ingredients until smooth, refrigerate and serve over shredded green and red cabbage, shredded carrots, chopped cilantro or use slaw mix.

 Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.

eBook Review - Plant-Powered Dressings by Dreena Burton

Made this amazing RANCH dressing last night from Plant-Powered Dressings by Dreena Burton. Dairy-free, oil-free, sugar-free, yet DELISH!

You can use my code "mrsplant" to get 10% OFF during checkout!

http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/oil-free-vegan-salad-dressings/

Zucchini-Garlic Dressing

Here's a DELICIOUS whole foods dressing I just got from my friend Miles @HealthyCrazyCool on YouTube. We had this mixed into our gorilla salads today, and it was fabulous! It was smooth and creamy!

1 1/2 cups of peeled raw zucchini
2 T. fresh lemon juice
2 T. raw tahini
1 small cloves of garlic
salt to taste (optional)

Blend until very smooth!

NEW! Plant-Powered Dressings by Dreena Burton

We all know that Dreena Burton is a master at creating salad dressings. This time, she has crafted a NEW eBook of dressing recipes that are oil-free and simple to make! And guess what?She graciously game me a 10% OFF code for all of you, so you can buy her eBook before the holidays! I always like to have a salad on my table to celebrate!

I will be doing a review of this eBook soon, but you can be sure the recipes are fabulous!

Simply click this link and use the code "mrsplant" for 10% OFF!

YouTube: Complete Meal Mexican Salad

VegWorld Magazine - Mrs. Plant's Mediterranean Farro Salad

One of my recipes is included in this month's VegWorld Magazine. You have to check out this amazing magazine. It's loaded with recipes, education, stories, product reviews, etc. You will love it!

Mrs. Plant’s Mediterranean Salad
1 package of Trader Joe’s 10-minute Farro, cooked according to package directions OR 1 ½ cups of cooked farro (cooking instructions, below), cooled
1 cucumber, peel and remove center core, then dice
1 small zucchini, diced very small
1 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped into quarters
½ yellow bell pepper, diced small
½ red bell pepper, diced small
¼ red onion, diced finely
¼ cup of Kalamata olives, chopped
¼ cup of black olives, chopped
¼ cup fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons

Dressing:
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T red wine vinegar
2 T. of the brine from the Kalamata olives
1 garlic clove
1 Medjool date, pitted
1/2 t. oregano
½ t. chia seeds
¼ t. salt
¼ t. black pepper

Cooking Farro:
Add 2 1/2 cups water and 1 cup of farro to a saucepan, bring to a boil, then simmer for 25-40 minutes until it reaches an al dente texture. This will probably make more than you need, but the yield varies in size so you want to make sure you have enough for the recipe (1 ½ cups of cooked farro).

Directions:
In a large bowl or container, combine cooked and cooled farro with the cucumber, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, olives and basil.
In a small cup-style blender, combine the dressing ingredients and blend until the date is pulverized well. Pour the dressing into the salad and stir well to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate before serving.

Thai Kale and Carrot Salad with Curry Maple Cashews

Serves 6 for a meal and 8 for a side salad

1 bunch of Lacinato (dinosaur) kale, washed, spun dry, and chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 t. fresh lime juice
6-8 carrots, peeled and finely shredded
1/2 small purple cabbage, finely shredded
1 pear or Asian pear, chopped
Toasted sesame seeds (optional)

An hour before serving, add 2 t. of lime juice to the kale and massage it in with clean hands.
Right before serving, toss together the kale, cabbage, carrots, and pear in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss well. Top with maple curry cashews and toasted sesame seeds. Serve!

Thai Peanut-Lime Dressing:
1/2 cup DRY-roasted unsalted peanuts (no oil added!)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 T low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup coconut sugar (or more to taste) or 3-4 pitted Medjool dates
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 t. red chili flakes

Blend in a high-speed blender or Nutribullet until smooth and creamy. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.


Maple Curry Cashews:
1 cup raw whole cashews
1 T. maple syrup
1 t. curry powder

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the maple syrup and curry powder. Add the cashews and coat them well. Place coated cashews on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 6-10 minutes, until golden brown but now burned. Watch them carefully! Cool before chopping and serving.

Adapted from Minimalist Baker

Garlicky Kale Salad

NOTE: Make sure to dry your kale WELL before tossing in the dressing. You don't want to water it down. Also, I usually only use 1/2 the amount of dressing for one head of kale, and it's still delicious!

Serves 2-3

1 bunch of kale, washed, dried WELL, and ripped into small pieces
2 T lemon juice
2 T tahini
2 T low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos 
2 T apple cider vinegar
4 T nutritional yeast
2 cloves of garlic
Toasted black sesame seeds for garnish, optional

Blend all ingredients (except kale!) in a small bowl until smooth. Refrigerate. Just before serving and with clean hands, massage kale for 1 minute. Add dressing to the kale and mix well. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds before serving.

Recipe inspired by Whole Foods

Oil-Free Creamy Papaya Dressing

I'm always creating new oil-free dressings because we like to have salads several times a week to get in a lot of raw veggies and fruits. After visiting the Asian store and picking up a gorgeous, very ripe papaya, I created this delicious, mildly sweet and creamy dressing.

 2 cups of ripe papaya pulp
1/4 cold water
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 T. fresh lime juice
1-2 dates (depending on how sweet you want your dressing)
1/2 t. chia seeds
1/8 t. salt

 Blend until smooth and creamy. Chill before serving.

Oil-Free Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing

I love to experiment with oil-free dressings. Since I had a HUGE container of organic strawberries, I thought I'd make a spinach and kale salad tonight with a fresh Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing. I took a little taste, and it's going to be divine! Can't wait for dinner!

1 1/2 cups of fresh, organic strawberries
1/4 cup raspberry balsamic vinegar
1 t. dijon mustard
2 t. chia seeds
2 t. sweetener (I used agave)

Blend in a high speed blender until the chia seeds are pulverized. Chill before serving.

Orange-Sesame Dressing (NO OIL!)

I'm always looking for tasty oil-free dressing recipes or ideas for recipes because we eat a great, big salad for dinner every night. This dressing was inspired by a recipe in the book, The End of Heart Disease by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I made some tweaks to suit my personal taste, and it is DELISH!

4 T. toasted sesame seeds*
1/4 cup raw cashews
2 large navel (seedless) oranges, peeled
2-3 T. rice wine vinegar
1 t. lite soy sauce
1/8 cup cold water
1 Medjool date, pitted

Blend until smooth in a high-speed blender. Chill before serving on a salad.

To toast sesame seeds: Add sesame seeds to a warmed skillet (medium high). Stir constantly for about 3 minutes until golden brown. Do not stop stirring or the seeds will burn.


Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.