Warmer weather means one thing-BIG cold salads. Washington experienced a heat wave a couple weeks ago and made it all the way up to 82 degrees! This is a big deal. Better than catching your cat sleeping in the litter box (anyone else’s cat do this?) Although I did eat plenty of HOT meals on the hot days, I usually opt for something refreshing. It was time to bring out the big guns.
Not only did this salad fill my belly, but it emptied my fridge. I was able to do a clean up with some left over produce! SCORE. Cleaning out the fridge is better than seeing a naked mole rat. Lots of “better than’s” going on in this post be prepared. I also used plenty of items purchased specifically for this meal, but the best part was the CHARD used from my garden. I love saying, “my garden.” I feel so proper. Almost like I should have a cup of tea with my pinky out every time I say the phrase.
Oh my chard. Simply beautiful. I get chills just looking at this picture. Please raise your hand if you get more excited over produce than you do about going to the mall. You better believe both my hands are high in the sky. Using produce from your own garden is better than a Tasmanian devils squeal. If you want to know what happens when someone trys to stick their fork onto my plate (dad) this is what will go down. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
From the chard working my way around the plate is: Chard, lentils, grape tomatoes, red bell pepper, avocado, wasabi almonds, and underneath is a bed of spring mix/spinach/and carrots. Topped with a combination of red wine vinegar and EV olive oil. This is what I call a salad mountain.
Perfect summer salad. Along with this salad, a vegan potato salad was created. Into this mix went a hefty amount of red potatoes, vegenaise (this tastes just like mayo it’s almost creepy), chives, TJ’s spicy mustard, jalopeno’s, basil, and pepper. This was so easy to make, you literally just eyeball everything..add enough “mayo” and mustard to coat the potatoes to your liking and then add the fixings depending on how much you want!
This is the perfect summer side to bring to a BBQ, but don’t tell anyone it’s vegan until AFTER they eat it. I made these vegan brownies for my mom to take to a pot luck and she told everyone they were vegan, and EVERYONE was skeptical. I was shocked! Fortunately this meant she had left overs to bring home, but I swear these are some of the best brownies I have ever tasted..the word “vegan” scares people. I wish I could take credit for this potato salad, but it was all Manfriend’s idea. I knew he was a winner.
Q(s):
- What are your favorite summer salad toppings?
- Do you find that people are skeptical when they hear words like “Vegan,” or “gluten free?” Yes, yes..absolutely, yes. People need to open their minds and TRY something new, when I see chocolate topped with more chocolate I don’t care if it’s vegan, gluten free, or vegan AND gluten free, you better believe I am shoveling as much into my mouth as I can fit!
Mmmm I’m getting hungry just seeing these salad concoctions! Summer definitely brings out my inner bunny rabbit too– I can’t get enough of the cold veggies!
I think I would love a vegan potato salad! Mayo skeeves me out sometimes, but this would solve that problem.
The greenery from your gahhhden is simply mahvelous!
You found your cat sleeping in the litter box?? My cat has never done that! At least not that I know of. But that’s hilarious haha.
The chard from YOUR garden looks so good!
WHAT??? who was sleeping in the liter box. I never saw that.
Sooo jealous of that salad! Its gorgeous. And I must say, I do squeel every time I go out to my bloob tree and see lucious blue berries waiting for me. It makes me feel accomplished!!
I love salad mountains! All kinds of toppings….crunchy, soft, salty, sweet….I like to chop them up so everything is the same size too!
I try not to use many labels when talking to people about food—they have all these preconceived ideas and close themselves off (I mean, really, it’s their loss, but still…). I do try to read them and choose my words carefully so they don’t put fences up to the info I’m talking about — that’s at work though, in my personal life, I let my crazy food flag fly
Dag, I love that there salad! Especially and I do mean especially your home-friggin-grown chard! Look at that! I so completely relate to the satisfaction that comes with cleaning out the frige. What is that?! Shouldn’t it feel better and more comforting to have stuffed full?
Ahhh I love salads especially in the summer time. Lately I am loving topping mine with avocado. The avocado is so tasty that I find I don’t even need dressing!
I just had a salad like that a couple of weeks ago you’re bringing back, good food memories. =)
I think people become totally skeptical of gluten free or vegan items! I eat GF and tend to eat vegan anyway so if I bring food to potlucks they are naturally GF/Veg but I won’t tell them that
and they are always super tasty! My favorite GF/Vegan item is So Delicious ice cream, holy cow, you would never know!
AGREED! I am obsessed with that ice cream.
Sometimes I don’t even realize something I’ve made is vegan until someone tells me! SO much to learn… but I love summer salads as much as the next gal! Especially arugula salads with crumbled feta and watermelon, mmm…
I find the trick is to NOT tell anyone it’s healthy/vegan/gluten free – just put out the chocolatey goodness and watch it disappear. Mu ha ha.
I’d probably be a little skeptical too, but very much less than I used to be. I’ve been very well educated by vegan bloggers! Even if I was skeptical, it would never stop me from trying it though.
I love salads in the summer- looks like a great mix! My favorite toppings right now are tomatoes and chickpeas!
What a gorgeous looking salad… yumm, a tasty and great mix
Summer salads are just the best, I always top mine with a plethora of fresh fruit- blueberries, strawberries, and oranges especially!
My last comment went to spam
I saved it!! Yay.
I love salads especially with avocado in it. The mountain salad looks yum!
That chard looks scrumptious – great idea for a salad.
Lol Brittany I loved how one of the tags for this post is “Salad Mountains”. And hey, I’m eating a salad mountain right now as we speak!! I LOVE my salads to have lots of texture. I always have carrots and I love craisins! I also always have some sort of carb in it! That potato salad looks awesome!
I have never had chard before! Usually my salad greens are romain or spinach, but I am thinking I really want to try chard! That potato salad looks so good!
It’s become SO hot in Mumbai that salads are just about the only thing I want to eat for lunch- cool & refreshing! Lately chickpeas, roasted squash and avocado are my favorite salad toppers…along with a big glob of hummus! I’ve totally experienced reactions from others after hearing “healthy” terms…their loss & more of me is the way I see it
! Although I do get immense pleasure in telling them what it actually is AFTER they’ve gobbled it up
Yum!! It is really hot here right now, and that looks so refreshing! I like black olives, garbonzo beans, whole-wheat crutons, avacodo to top my salads. Yes, ppl are wary of the word “vegan”..they seem to acquaint it with “weird”. I hope it ends soon, but when I take things places, I don’t tell ppl it’s vegan or healthy or anything, but ppl will ask me, “what’s in it?” … ahh! Just try it and see if you like it first… I mean, you don’t ask other ppl what’s in their brownies or bean salad of whatever. Oh well, rant over
have a great weekend, brittany!
I loved the photos of your wine box garden! I have seen some of those in my Seattle neighborhood, what a great idea. I wonder if they were yours!
The produce from your garden (pinky up) looks like its going to good use!
Gorgeous salads Britt! So perfect and easy … loving all those grated carrots – my favorite everyday add on!
Ummm I am hungry for a salad now! I’ve been really into kale salads lately!
i want that avocado in the top right corner! i was never a huge fan of salads, but recently ive been eating one everyday. my fav toppings are roasting cherry tomatoes, pine nuts and chicken
People are always skeptical when they heard these words and I think this food can taste just as good as the regular stuff if people would just try it! ps love ur blog check out my recipes on mine u may find some u wanna try
My tiny baby sister once imitated me, impromptu, in the ‘pinky out tea drinking’ fashion that you described, and it was so very funny that i literally spat my watered-down hot chocolate (2007 – when i ate dairy and she was super calorie conscious) across the room. LOLF! You remind me of my baby sister, oh so much! #compliment.
man i love big salad mountains!! so summery. fave salad topping would have to be sliced up apples. anything to make it sweeter! i also like super tiny diced onions and recently re-fell in love with butter lettuce. mmm. i feel like many people react negatively to vegan choices..it bothers me. maybe they think a vegan version will be weird wobbly meat impersonator, instead of yummy whole foods mixed together. in any case, yay for huuuge salads!
I have been CRAVING a huge salad lately. I tried getting one on the way home from vacation yesterday, but we only stopped at a gas station and I didn’t really enjoy any of the options…
A friend was telling me recently that she’s found a shop in Edinbugh that promises Scotish Salads all year round – made up with any leaf and flower they find in season. I didn’t know you can eat dandilions and daisys, yet she said it was the best salad she’s ever eaten.