SPRING IS HERE!! Finally. And I, for one, am very excited for some fresh crunchy vegetables after all these heavy wintery foods. So, here we are with a deeeelicious crunchy, flavorful SALAD. I’m not usually a big salad person, but this one has captured my heart. Pretty much anything that is spicy and includes avocado will capture my heart though. So maybe it’s an easy catch…
Not to brag or anything, but we GREW all the vegetables in this salad in my garden!! (Except the avocado, don’t be ridiculous.) Our garden is overflowing with all the spring vegetables right now and it’s so exciting.
So this salad – we start with a base of whatever chopped lettuce/baby greens you want, add some quinoa and chickpeas for heft, radishes and green onions for crunch and some mild spice, avocado for creaminess and seeds for texture! Drizzle with a spicy, sweet dressing, toss and serve – yummmmm.
This salad has a really nice balance of textures which is key for a good salad – some creamy things, some crunchy things. It also has the best spicy, umami dressing with a hint of sweetness.
I used gochugaru which is a spicy Korean chili powder in my dressing but you could also substitute whatever chili powder you have. Just make sure to also add sriracha or cayenne too because most chili powders are not actually that spicy. I tested this and it was still delicious. If you can get your hands on some gochugaru though, definitely give it a try. It’s so good!
Ingredients
- 6 cups chopped lettuce
- 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup of chickpeas
- 4 radishes, chopped
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 avocado, pitted and chopped
- 2 Tbsp of your favorite seeds - sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, pepitas, etc.
- For the dressing:
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free)
- 2 Tbsp vegan mayo
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chili powder)*
Instructions
- 1. Whisk all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- 2. Add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss until combined. Serve immediately. (This will not keep well so only mix as much as you will eat right away. Store salad and dressing separately.)
Notes
* If you can't find gochugaru, you can substitute whatever chili powder you have. Just make sure to also add sriracha or cayenne pepper too because most chili powders are not actually that spicy.
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