Nutritional Value of Salads for Vegans

Gaining a weight being a vegan or vegetarian is very difficult sometimes, especially, when you don’t know how to get protein from your extra-food.

This article contains great vegetarian and vegan salads recipes and their nutrition facts.

The Main Sources of Protein for Vegans and Vegetarians

Here is the list of veggie food with protein content per 100g:

1. Tofu – 8g
2. Beans – 21g
3. Spelt – 14g
4. Lentils – 9g
5. Quinoa – 14g
6. Peas – 8g
7. Pumpkin Seeds – 30g
8. Tempeh – 16g
9. Edamame – 17g
10. Spinach – 2,9g
11. Asparagus – 2,4g
12. Broccoli – 2,8g
13. Spirulina – 57g
14. Peanut butter – 25g
15. Pistachios – 20g

Top-10 Best Vegan Protein Salads

A lot of people think that good protein is only in meat, but it’s a mistake. It also can be found in a large variety of vegan food.

The traditionally recommended daily protein intake is 0,8 grams per 1 kilogram, but for vegans, it’s about 0,9 gr.

Black Bean and Lentil Salad

Ingredients:

1. Lentils
2. Can of black beans
3. Red pepper and tomatoes
4. Coriander
5. Lime juice
6. Onion and garlic
7. Dijon mustard
8. Salt, oregano, and cumin

How to prepare a salad:

1. First of all cook lentils and carefully drain it.
2. Then cut 1 pepper, 2 tomatoes, and half a red onion. Remove the stems of coriander and mince it.
3. Put all the ingredients (don’t forget about black beans) in a bowl and mix them.
4. For dressing mince 1 or 2 cloves of garlic and squeeze juice from a lime. You also need 2 tbs. olive oil, 1 tbs. cumin and Dijon mustard, half tbs. oregano and a little bit salt to taste. Mix the ingredients.
5. Add dressing to your salad and mix it up. You can eat it at once or wait before the flavors blend.

Mushroom Veggie Salad

Ingredients:

• 500g cooked beets
• 400g ceps
• 2 onions
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic
• Olive oil
• Soy sauce or vinegar

Instructions:

1. Chop 1 onion, put it on a pan and fry for 3-4 minutes.
2. Mince the ceps and add them to your onion. When there is no water, you mushrooms are ready; they should be a golden color. Don’t forget to stir it regularly, when cooking. After it, you have to cool your mushrooms and onion and then put them in the fridge.
3. Now peel and dice the beets.
4. Mince one more onion and garlic. Combine them with the beets in a large bowl and mix well.
5. Take chilled mushrooms out of the fridge and add them to the vegetables. Season it with soy sauce and salt. Mix everything well again.
6. The salad is ready and you can enjoy it.

Quick Bean Salad

What you need:

• 350g canned corn
• 1 Avocado
• 350g canned white beans
• 350g canned red beans
• 150g gluten-free croutons
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Black pepper

How to make it:

1. Drain and rinse beans and corn. Combine these ingredients in a deep bowl and thoroughly mix them.
2. Mince the garlic and add it to your bowl. Then pour it with olive oil, season with pepper and stir everything.
3. Place the croutons over the salad and it’s ready.

Vegan Caesar

Ingredients:

• 1 head romaine lettuce
• ½ iceberg lettuce
• 1,5 cup boiled chickpeas
• 1tbs. olive oil
• 1 handful of gluten-free crouton crumbs

Dressing:

• 2/3 cup cashew nuts
• 1 tbs. lemon juice
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 2/3 tbs. mustard;
• Salt and pepper

How to make it:

1. Place cashew nuts in water overnight. In the morning drain all the water, rinse and dry them. Pour cashews with a mixture of olive oil and spices. Then put them on a baking tray and bake at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. After it, stir the nuts and brown for 10 minutes in your oven.
2. Take nuts out of the oven, put them in a blender bowl and add mustard and lemon juice. Then whisk it well.
3. Chop romaine and iceberg lettuces and place them in a deep bowl. Add chickpeas and pour it with olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste. Then sprinkle with croutons crumbs.
4. Now dress your salad with sauce and mix it well. Enjoy your meal!

Cold Lentil Salad

What you need:

• 1 cup lentils
• 1 large cucumber
• A bunch of parsley
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon apple vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 dried bay leaf

Instructions:

1. First of all, cook the lentil according to the package cooking instruction. Don’t forget to add a bay leaf to the water. When the lentil is ready, pour out all the water, let it cool.
2. Mince parsley and cucumber and put them in a large bowl. Then add cooled lentils and stir everything well.
3. Season your salad with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix well again and finally eat it.

Green Bean and Barley Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pearl barley
• 450g green beans
• 1 can green peas
• A bunch of spinach
• 2tbs. olive oil
• A little bit lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

How to make it:

1. Give the barley a quick rinse and cook it. Do not overcook, it should be crumbly. Usually, it takes 20 minutes, and then you have to cool it.
2. Now trim both ends of green beans and cut them in half diagonally. Put them in a pan filled with water, bring to boiling and cook for 2-3 minutes. When it’s ready, let it cool.
3. When barley and green beans are not hot anymore, put them in a bowl and add green peas and minced spinach. Season with olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper. Mix the ingredients well.

Remember that salad should be warm for better flavor.

Asparagus and Tofu Skin Salad

Ingredients:

• 100g dried tofu skin
• 120g green asparagus
• 4 medium cucumbers
• 40ml olive oil
• 1tbs. soy sauce
• 1tbs. vinegar
• 1tbs. liquid honey
• Salt
• 20g fresh dill

Instructions:

1. Make 3 centimeters long stripes of tofu skin and put them in cold water for 2 hours.
2. Rinse the green asparagus, get rid of its bottom and cut it in half. Cook it in boiling water for 3 minutes.
3. Cut cucumbers in sticks about 3 centimeters in length.
4. When tofu skin expands and turns soft, pour out the water and add soy sauce. Mix it well. Using your pan, heat up olive oil put tofu skin there and fry for 5 minutes. Then add green asparagus and fry-stir for 5 minutes.
5. Put tofu skin and asparagus in a bowl, combine with chopped dill, cucumber stripes. Season with vinegar and liquid honey, mix it well.
6. You can decorate your salad with a lemon slice when serving.

Black-Eyed Peas Salad

Ingredients:

• 450g black-eyed peas
• 200g field peas and sprouted lentils
• 1 red onion and 3 cloves garlic
• 6-7 cherry tomatoes
• A bunch of parsley
• 2tbs. olive oil, salt, and pepper

How to make it:

1. Put black-eyed peas in boiling and salted water and cook for 10 minutes. Then add field peas and cook on low heat until they turn soft. Then drain and rinse using cold water to cool them.
2. Chop the half of red onion and parsley and mince 3 cloves of garlic. Put them in a bowl, combine with sprouted lentils and cooled black-eyed peas and field peas. Season with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Finally, stir it well.
3. Halve the cherry tomatoes crosswise and put them over the salad.

Sorghum Salad

Ingredients for salad:

• 3 medium tomatoes
• A bunch of garden cress and parsley
• 1 stalk scallion
• 1 cup sorghum
• 1 cup of red kidney beans
• Salt and pepper
• Pine nuts.

Ingredients for vegan pesto:

• 130g leaf cabbage
• 155g basil
• 4tbs. olive oil
• 50g pine nuts
• 45ml water and 15ml lemon juice
• 9g nutritional yeast
• 1 clove garlic

Directions:

1. Fill the saucepan with 3 cups of water, add salt and 1 cup sorghum. When it boils, bring it to low heat and cook for 45 minutes. Taste the grains from time to time and if they are soft they are ready.
2. Slice the tomatoes and chop the scallion and parsley. Place them in a bowl.
3. Take a dry pan, place it on your oven on medium heat and put the pine nuts there. Stir them all the time. After they change the color into brown, they are ready.
4. For pesto, you need a blender. Throw all the ingredients into it and blend until smooth.
5. Toss your sorghum with the prepared pesto. Then put it in a bowl with tomatoes, scallion, and parsley. Add pine nuts and garden cress, season with salt and mix well.

Red Cabbage and Seitan Salad

Ingredients:

• 500g seitan
• 2 cloves garlic
• 15ml olive oil
• ½ tsp. mildly-spiced curry
• ½ head of a medium red cabbage;
• 1 cucumber and 2 scallions.

For dressing:

• 4 mangoes
• 125g red onion
• 1/3 cup raisins and brown sugar
• 5 cloves garlic
• 100g ginger root
• 45ml wine vinegar
• A little bit of salt and red pepper flakes.
• 1/3 cup peanut butter

Instructions for dressing:

1. Prepare a saucepan of medium size for your chutney.
2. Peel and dice the mangoes. Do the same with the onion.
3. Mince garlic and ginger root.
4. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Boil it and then simmer for 30 minutes on low heat.
5. When the chutney is prepared, blend it in a Vitamix blender with peanut butter and about 80ml water until smooth.
6. Your dressing is ready, set it aside.

How to make a salad:

1. Cut your seitan, cucumber, and scallions. Mince the garlic and shred the red cabbage.
2. Heat up olive oil in a pan, when it’s hot, add seitan. Fry it until golden brown color. Then put minced garlic there and cook for 30 seconds. After it, sprinkle with curry and fry for 2 minutes. You can also add some salt to taste. When the seitan is prepared, don’t let it cool.
3. In a large bowl combine shredded red cabbage and cucumber. Mix it well with the dressing. Place seitan and scallions over the salad.

Serve the salad immediately because seitan should be warm when eating.

TOP-5 Vegetarian Protein Salad

Not a vegan? No problem. Here are top-5 best salad recipes for vegetarians looking for protein.

Halloumi and Broccoli Salad

What you need:

• Halloumi cheese;
• Broccolini;
• ½ avocado;
• Half a cup of quinoa;
• Salad;
• Olive oil.

How to make it:

1. First of all, wash your salad and carefully dry it.
2. Cut your avocado in small dices.
3. Fill the pot with some water, boil it and then put your broccolini there. Cook it for 7-8 minutes.
4. Prepare a pot for quinoa, put it in it, add a cup of water and boil it. When all the water is gone, your quinoa is ready; usually, it takes 6 or 7 minutes.
5. Now take your grill pan, add olive oil and let it heat up. Then put halloumi and broccolini on it and grill for 5 or 6 minutes. Remember, that the thickness of halloumi pieces should not be more than 1 centimeter.
6. When all the ingredients are ready, put it in a bowl and mix it. Then take olive oil to season it.

Don’t forget that the salad is tastier when halloumi is hot.

Chickpeas, Kidney Beans and Feta Salad

Ingredients for salad:

1. The can of chickpeas and kidney beans
2. Onion and garlic
3. Ginger
4. Olive oil
5. Chili flakes
6. Scallions
7. Lemon
8. Feta
9. Black Pepper
10. Salt
11. Parsley

How to make it:

1. Dice the onion and prepare 2 or 3 cloves of garlic. Grate the small piece of ginger if it’s not shredded. Then take your parsley, wash it and chop. You need only 1 cup of parsley. Crumble 150g of feta and cut scallions in circles. Squeeze the juice of your lemon.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your pan, heat it up and then put diced onion there. Fry it till light golden yellow color. After it, take a pinch of chili flakes, garlic, and ginger, add them to the onion and cook till you feel the smell of garlic. Then you have to cool it, otherwise, you feta can be melted.
3. In your salad bowl, combine chickpeas, kidney beans, and circles of scallions, parsley, feta cheese and juice of one lemon. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
4. When your onion and garlic are not hot anymore, add them to your bowl and mix with other ingredients. Now your salad is ready.

Red grapes, Bulgur, and Walnut Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups red grapes and edamame
• 255g walnuts
• Half an onion
• ¼ cup water and honey
• 255g blue cheese
• 1 cup bulgur
• 60g spinach

How to make a salad:

1. First of all, halve the grapes, chop the onion and spinach, and crumble blue cheese.
2. Place the butter in a pan and melt it. Add chopped onion and cook it until soft.
3. Boil to cups of water in a saucepan, pour the bulgur and cook it for 15-20 minutes. It can be salted to taste if desired. Then put bulgur to the onion in the same pan. Mix them and set aside to cool.
4. Throw chopped walnuts, red grapes, and edamame in a bowl, then add bulgur with onion and stir everything.
5. Make a mix of honey and water, pour it in the salad and mix well.
6. Decorate the top of the salad with crumbled blue cheese and spinach.

Chickpea and Spinach Salad

What you need:

1. A can of chickpeas
2. Spinach
3. Corn
4. Feta
5. Raisins
6. Vinegar
7. Honey and olive oil
8. Cumin
9. Salt
10. Chili flakes

How to make this simple salad:

1. Firstly, take only a half can of chickpeas and one fistful of spinach. Slice 175g of feta. Put all the ingredients in a bowl. Remember that chickpeas should be drained and rinsed.
2. Prepare another bowl, it can be small. Add 1,5 tbsp. of honey, 2 tbsp. of olive oil, 0,25 tbsp. of vinegar, half a handful of raisins and mix them. Then take 0,25 tbsp. of cumin, salt and chili flakes and put it in your bowl. Mix well all these ingredients again. Now your dressing is ready.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad and eat it immediately.

Edamame and Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of chickpeas
• Edamame beans
• Red and green pepper
• Carrot
• Dried cranberries
• Garlic

For dressing:

1. Salt, pepper, and sugar
2. Grape seed and olive oil
3. Oregano, basil, and rosemary
4. White vinegar

Instructions:

1. Prepare a ¼ cup of edamame beans. Cut 100g carrots into cubes, chop green and red pepper and mince 1 clove garlic. Combine the ingredients in a bowl, add 3 tablespoons cranberries, set it aside.
2. Now it’s time for dressing. You need 2 tablespoons grapeseed and olive oil, 1 teaspoon vinegar and sugar, 2g oregano, basil, and rosemary. Whisk them in a small bowl.
3. Dress the salad, and then add salt and pepper.
4. Wait 30 minutes before eating it.

Summary

I hope that you’ll enjoy these salad recipes and stay strong and healthy.

Resources:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• https://nutritiondata.self.com
• https://link.springer.com