6 Simple Vegan Summer Salad Recipes

Summer is here!

Salads are LIFE every season, but it’s safe to say they hit differently in the summer. They’re easy to throw together and maximize all of the good, nourishing stuff. They're also a simple way to jump back into the health mix, if you want to pump up your veggie intake. But sometimes it can be a mission to pull a rich salad together if you’re tight on time and brain energy. So, I’ve done the legwork for you!

Most of these salads can be made in 10 minutes or less!

Keep it colorful & simple. This is a pic of my Chicken, but Make it Mushroom Salad.

Here are 6 simple vegan salads that I'm digging this summer:

3 of the 6 are kale salads~love me some kale! They are one of the most nutrient dense foods in the game, packed with tons of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Most of these salads can be made in 10 minutes or less:

1. Chicken, but Make it Mushrooms Salad: Wash a carton of crimini, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms. I usually buy a pre-mixed carton from our neighborhood Kroger. Sauté mushrooms with olive oil in a pan for 4-8 minutes. Add seasoning while cooking. Mine include pepper, paprika, garlic, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and this salt-free seasoning blend. Chop up romaine lettuce and pair it in a salad with fresh garlic, Roma tomatoes, avocados, red onions, yellow or orange bell peppers, a handful of pistachios, and chia seeds. Top with the mushroom mix and Primal Kitchen’s vegan Caesar salad dressing. Mushrooms should be firm, but still maintain their water for increased nutrients. 

2. Chickpea Bacon Spinach Salad: Combine baby spinach, romaine, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, red onions, yellow or orange bell peppers, avocado and everything bagel seasoning. Create a bacon flavor with the chickpeas by roasting or sauteing them with grapeseed oil, coconut or soy aminos, liquid smoke, a dash of maple syrup, and seasonings (salt, pepper and paprika). Need something quicker? Sub out the chickpeas. Throw Sweet Earth’s hickory & Sage Benevolent Bacon in a pan, and once cooked, crumble it on top of the salad. 

3. Vegan Kale Caesar Salad: Grab lacinato kale. De-stem it and chop into slices. Grab a can or two (depending on how much you like) of chickpeas. Top them with olive oil, garlic, onion, sea salt, pepper and Old Bay. Roast them in the oven for 20-30 minutes until they are hard and crunchy like croutons. Once done, sprinkle the chickpeas on top of the salad. Add vegan parmesan and vegan caesar dressing. If you wanna get fancy, make the dressing from scratch. A good blend, shared by Detoxinista, who crafted the original recipe, includes mixing tahini, lemon juice, water, garlic, mustard, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.  

Balance

A nutrient dense vegan salad combines clean, fiber-filled carbs, like pears, with powerful greens, like kale, and a plant-protein, like garbanzo beans. Nuts and dried fruit add embellishment.

4. Martinique’s Mix: One of my good friends, Felicia, has been making this salad for years, and it’s a kale banger! Grab your choice of kale. Top with chopped green apples, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts. The spark comes from her oh so delightful dressing of choice: Mix avocado with lime juice and olive oil. Season as desired. 

5. Sweet Kale Chopped Salad: I have no shame admitting that I love this bagged grocery store salad! I grab it as a base and add additional toppings. The salad is made with kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts & radicchio. It comes topped with pumpkin seeds and cranberries. I add almonds, blueberries, chopped apples and  shredded carrots. I pair with my own light balsamic vinaigrette. 

Jazz it up

Grocery store bagged salads aren’t what they used to be. There are a lot of versatile, new mixes that can act as a powerful salad base. I love dressing this Sweet Kale Chopped kit up with different toppings and pairing it with a balsamic vinaigrette.

6. Strawberry Spinach: Combine fresh organic baby spinach, sliced strawberries, avocados, red onion, almonds (slivered or whole), and sliced red onion, with a vegan poppy seed dressing. Briana’s Organic Rich Poppy Seed Dressing is a good vegan option. Here on the West Coast it can be found at Sprouts and is delish! Coconut bacon is also added as a topping to the original recipe, which comes from The Simple Veganista.

AND...if you need a quick to-go salad in a pinch, my current fav is the Green Goddess Salad at Sweetgreen. It’s filled with black lentils, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, carrots, spicy broccoli, shredded cabbage, beets, almonds, spinach, and kale. I opt for a balsamic dressing instead of their signature green goddess ranch dressing, as it’s not vegan. My plan is to recreate this salad at home soon!

Sit back & enjoy!

I love the combination of lime and avocado, paired with fruit and nuts in Martinique’s Mix salad. I topped it with crushed red pepper for an added kick.

What’s your favorite, quick, summer salad in rotation?

Thanks for reading! For more resources for busy moms who want to lead healthier, plant-based lives: Follow me @getmommafied on Instagram, and subscribe to my bimonthly Mommafied Note.