Courtesy of Caryn Dugan
STLVegGirl Caryn Dugan makes the traditionally meat-heavy chopped salad into a vegan delight. Just replace ham with protein- and vitamin-packed vegetables and the dairy with a creamy hemp heart ranch. Set the salad ingredients in bowls on a table, lay out an array of tongs and spoons, and allow your guests to create their own salads. Perfectly suited for summer entertaining!
You can read her instructions below.
Springtime Chop Salad with Hemp Heart Ranch for a Party
Growing up we dipped everything in the coveted Hidden Valley Ranch. So, when I transitioned to a fully plant-based diet, I knew I'd need a substitute for this little addiction too. Enter the Hemp Heart Ranch. There are a lot of dairy-free ranch recipes out there, but I wanted the thick creaminess without using oil (think, fat is good, but not from oil). So I played and played and landed on this and I hope you like it as much as I do. Happy dipping or drizzling...!
DAIRY-FREE HEMP HEART RANCH
- 1/2 cup hemp hearts
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tablespoon tahini paste
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 teaspoon fresh dill (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
To a blender, add the hemp hearts*, garlic clove, nutritional yeast, tahini, lemon and sea salt. Begin to blend slowly and drizzle in the water. Blend on high until creamy. Add in the dill and pulse just a couple of times.
Transfer to a sealable container and chill. Will keep for a week.
Makes nearly one cup.
*With hemp hearts, the shell of the hemp seed has been removed making the seeds easier to digest. They have a nutty flavor and are soft to the touch. Each serving provides 10g of protein, 2.5g of Omega-3 fatty acids, and 8.5 of Omega-6 fatty acids.
VEGAN CHOPPED SALAD
- 3 bunches of organic curly kale
- 2 cups roasted curried chickpeas (recipe follows)
- 2 cups pepadews, cut into quarters
- 1 bunch of steamed asparagus
- 6–8 multicolored carrots, shredded
- 6 beets
- 2 cups artichoke hearts, quartered
- 1–2 red onions
- 3 avocados
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- edible flowers
SALAD INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- De-stem the kale by holding the bottom of the stalk where the leaves end. Wrap your first finger and thumb loosely around the stalk and quickly run your hand up, tearing the leaf from the stalk.
- After you have de-stemmed, take 2–3 leaves at a time and stack them on top of each other. Roll the leaves up and slice down the roll in 1/2-inch cuts. Finally, chop one time down the center. Your kale is now in ribbon-like cuts that makes it much easier for your guests to eat.
- Transfer in batches to a salad spinner and then to a large bowl.
- To dress the kale, drizzle 1/4 cup of the dressing on the leaves and begin to roughly massage. Really get work your hands in. You are breaking down the fibers and working the dressing in; this takes some effort. Use your own judgement on the amount of dressing you’d like to use: If it gets dry, add more. You’ll find the leaves become bright green and shrink in size considerably (this is why I always buy more than I think I’ll need). Chill kale in refrigerator until the rest of the ingredients are ready.
CHICKPEA INSTRUCTIONS
- Drain and rinse beans (if using canned) and transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Add 1 teaspoon canola oil and 1/2 teaspoon of each: cumin, curry, coriander. Add a pinch of salt.
- Mix well and continue to season to your taste.
- Transfer beans to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes. Really watch them the last few minutes of cooking as you don't want to burn them.
ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut the pepadews into quarters.
- Chop the rough ends off the asparagus. Cut the spears into 1/2-inch pieces and lightly steam. Set aside.
- Shred carrots either using the large holes on a box shredder or more easily, a food processor. Set aside.
- Peel beets and chop them into quarters and then quarters again if they are large in size (you want uniform bite-size cuts). Prepare them any way you choose, roasting or steaming. Set aside.
- Drain and cut artichokes to quarters. Set aside.
- Cut onion to a small dice
- Cut around the oblong perimeter of the avocados and twist to open. Remove pit. Carefully make 1/4–1/2-inch slices in flesh barely scraping the outside peel. Make one more slice across the opposite way, and carefully scoop out with a spoon. Set in a bowl and squeeze lemon on the avocado. Toss gently to coat well. Set aside.
Courtesy of Caryn Dugan
There are a few ways to present this.
To make the ever popular bowl, simply place the kale in a large and wide clear bowl and place the ingredients separately on top of kale. Leave some room in the middle to place the edible flowers. Set the sunflower seeds to the side for guests to add as a sprinkle on top.
To create a starburst effect, place kale in the middle of a large round platter and use the ingredients as “rays” coming off kale. Place edible flowers a top kale and set the sunflower seeds to the side for guests to add as a sprinkle on top. This is nice because guests can actually choose their ingredients.
I find most often that I am simply lining up the ingredients on a large white rectangle platter. With the kale in the middle and some edible flowers on top, I line the ingredients up tightly next to one another. Guests can, again, choose their own ingredients. Leave the seeds to the side.
With all of these, remember to also set out the remaining dressing for use.
