Vegan MoFo: Nacho Salad

All the nacho taste, none of the bad-for-you stuff!

Mmmmm,nachos.

You love 'em, right? Everyone loves nachos. But conventional nachos don't love you back. With all that salt and fat, they're hypertension on a plate. So try this scrumptious salad for a tasty nacho flavor and crunch without the fat.

Nacho Salad

Ingredients
2-3 cups shredded romaine
1 cup shredded kale and/or spinach (I use half each)
1/3 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup Spanish rice (great use for leftovers!)
1/3 cup refried beans
1/4 cup taco sauce
1/4 cup crispy tortilla strips

Directions
Toss in a bowl, mix, and enjoy!

'Save the Tuna' Salad

There are a million versions of chickpea-based mock tuna salad out there on the interweb. This one is my personal variation.

Save the Tuna Salad

2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas
3 stalks celery, diced fine
1/4 cup red onion, diced fine
3 tbsp vegan mayo
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp granulated dulse
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
2 tbsp relish (optional)

Take chickpeas and mash with a fork or pulse in a food processor until there are no whole beans left (be careful not to turn into a paste - it should be a little chunky). Move to a mixing bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients. (If dry, add more mayo or mustard. For a more oceany taste, add a bit more dulse.)

For hors d'oeuvres, I omitted the relish and instead served a dollop of the salad on a dill & sea salt flavored Trisket, topped with half a grape tomato.

Whole-Wheat Croutons

It can be hard to find vegan croutons. All the prepackaged ones have Parmesan or whey for some reason. But here's a little secret I'll share with you... The prepackaged ones kind of suck anyway. Did you know that? Probably not, unless you've had fresh made croutons recently. Somehow we tend to forget. 

The beauty part about making your own - other than the fact that it's almost disgustingly easy - is that you can give them at least some redeeming nutritional value by using a good, hearty whole wheat bread. (And then slathering it with tasty fats. Hey, I said some value.)

Whole Wheat Croutons

1 garlic & herb salad dressing mix (0.75 oz)
½ cup melted Earth Balance vegan butter
¼ cup olive oil
16 slices whole wheat bread, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly toast bread in toaster or oven. Discard crusts, cut into cubes. Mix other ingredients and toss with bread until well coated. Spread in single layer. Bake 12 -15 min or until outsides begin to crisp. Let cool on pans. Store in an airtight container.

While I'm at it, let me tell you what goes beautifully with these croutons: a slightly bitter salad with a sweet dressing is offset beautifully by these savory little bites. It's like the flavor trifecta. 

Here I used OrganicGirl 50/50 blend (mixed greens with 50% baby spinach), plus shaved fennel, shaved sweet onions, cherry tomatoes, and an agave mustard vinaigrette. Scrumptious!

Roast-a-thon: Roasted Beet and Kale Salad with Agave Mustard Vinaigrette

This one was an experiment. Having never had a cooked beet in my life, I really wasn't sure what to expect. While I'd read they'd be sweeter, I think roasting them also brings out more of the earthy flavor.


Roasted Golden Beets
1 bunch of small beets
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place whole, unpeeled beets on aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Fold foil into a packet. Bake for 50 - 70 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork.


Let cool for 15-20 minutes. Peel the skin off the beets with your hands, or by rubbing skins off with a paper towel.

Slice and serve warm, with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.


The earthy flavor of the beets made me want other earthy flavors (like kale and mustard) combined with something sweet (agave and sweet onions). Or, y'know, whatever was in my fridge. Which happened to be... those things.

Kale and Roasted Beet Salad with Agave Mustard Vinaigrette
Salad:
Kale
Sweet onion
Roasted beet

Dressing:
1 part white balsamic vinegar
2 parts agave syrup
2 parts yellow mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and tear the kale. Top with thin shaved onions and sliced beets. Wisk the dressing ingredients together with a fork and serve.

How gorgeous is that salad? It was SO delicious!