Sadly, salad is often used as a joke around vegans, since in some cases when eating out, it’s our only option. Restaurants may not quite know how to make a great salad, but if you’re at home, a salad has so many creative culinary options, it’s almost more exciting than any other dish. It can be whatever you want it to be! I think of a salad as a meal, not a side dish. Once you change your mindset, salad-making becomes an art.

The trick to salad is that it isn’t just veggies in a bowl; a salad worthy of eating must be built, my friends. Which is why I’m here to give you a lesson in Ultimate Salad Making 101. Remember these tips, and you will never make a subpar salad ever again.

5 Steps for the Ultimate Salad:

1. GREENS

A salad must have a variety of greens, not just wilted iceberg lettuce. Fill it with romaine, spring mix, spinach, cabbage, scallions, kale, arugula, or sprouts. At least two different greens must be included for variety. Your greens base should be hearty and should fill up a large size bowl. (I sometimes even use a small mixing bowl to contain my salads… no shame here!)

      2. OTHER VEGGIES

Give it some hunks of the good stuff. Cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, artichoke hearts, sugar snap peas, carrots, avocados, and mushrooms are always great ones to start with. I use whatever I have in my fridge (which makes salad a good leftover fridge veggies meal!). One way to really amp up the flavors is adding spiced or cooked veggies. Roast mushrooms in the oven with balsamic vinegar or roast some corn or broccoli. I even put cooked veggies in the salad warm. A cold salad is great, but adding something warm makes it feel more filling!

    3. PROTEIN

Some options for protein include baked tofu, seitan (check out my Sesame Seitan Salad recipe here), vegan chicken patties or black bean burgers, black beans, cannellini beans, kidney beans, roasted crispy chickpeas, peas, and edamame. Choose only one or two of these to keep you full.

    4. STARCH

This is where people start to think I’m crazy, but if you haven’t tried putting carbs in your salad yet, you don’t know what heaven is like. Add in ½ cup of white or brown rice, farro, quinoa, leftover penne pasta...whatever carb strikes your fancy! The key is to put enough so that the salad feels hearty and substantial, not to turn it into a pasta dish with lettuce!

5. TOPPINGS

And lastly, my favorite step, the toppings!! This stuff is what really takes your salad to the next level. The key to toppings is three subsections: something tangy, something crunchy, and salad dressing. For something tangy, I love adding olives, kimchi, pickled veggies or onions, or pepperoncinis! Adding something crunchy gives a salad really good texture. Try using nuts (such as walnuts or crushed peanuts). My go-to is usually crispy wonton strips! The ones I get at the grocery store are vegan! The tri-colored tortilla strips you find in the produce section are sometimes vegan, as well as certain brands of croutons. Be sure to make sure they don’t contain milk! Lastly, the dressing. I have found the best vegan ranch dressing recipe from Karissa’s Vegan Kitchen that I’ve been loving. You can also use any vegan dressing you like! There’s vegan caesar, ranch, thousand island, and more you can find at your local health food store. Poppyseed dressing sometimes gives a nice sweetness to a salad. I also love to make my own dressings with tahini, vinegar, lemon juice, and other ingredients!

Happy salad-eating! :)