We frequently talk about the importance of getting enough protein. It's vital for muscle health. While it might not be hard for meat-eaters to achieve a daily goal for protein, it can be tricky for others. Eating dairy and eggs can also get plenty of protein into your diet without much thought. But, for vegans, it can sometimes be a struggle to eat a healthy diet with the right amount of protein.
Today, we are sharing four delicious vegan salad recipes. These are great for hotter days when you want a cool meal. While cheese, eggs and meat are often added to salads to make them a complete meal with protein, these vegan options use protein-rich veggies and tofu to achieve the same goal.
Many people love cobb salad. But, the eggs, bacon and blue cheese dressing make it off limits for vegans. This delicious version uses baked tofu to replace the eggs, smokey mushrooms to stand in for the bacon and a vegan version of blue cheese dressing. You get all of the flavors and textures you love without the animal products. Instead of getting protein from the eggs, meat and cheese, the tofu makes this a filling meal that will give you plenty of energy. A serving has 268 calories, 21 grams of carbs, eight grams of fiber and eight grams of protein. Get the recipe.
Panzanella is a delicious bread salad from Italy. Obviously, a traditional version made with ordinary bread wouldn't make it into any of our weekly recipe blogs. You could replace it with low-carb bread. But, we prefer this version that uses pan-roasted tofu to give it extra protein and make it a full meal. It has an oil-free lemon juice-rich vinaigrette that makes the flavors bright and keeps the fat content low. This is a nutritious and delicious salad that you are sure to love with so much flavor and wonderful textures. A serving has 277 calories, 26 grams of carbs, five grams of fiber and 23 grams of protein. Get the recipe.
If you love Asian-inspired dishes, this is your dinner! It's a warm salad, perfect for a cooler summer evening where you want a meal that is piping hot or room temperature. The tofu is crispy, as is the kale and broccoli base. But, to us, the dish's star is the coconut peanut dressing. If fact, we think you should double the pressing because you'll want to put it on other things! And when you make the dressing, taste it as you go, sriracha is one of the ingredients, and it's hot! Add it a little at a time until you reach the right heat for you! We think this salad will be one you'll return to again and again because the combination of the veggies, tofu and sauce is a homerun. A serving has 275 calories, 28 grams of carbs, seven grams of fiber and 13 grams of protein. Get the recipe.
This recipe calls for feta. But, you can easily omit it to make it vegan, and the meal won't suffer. Beans are a great source of plant-based protein. This recipe with different types of beans, olives and peppers, along with marinated artichokes and so much more, has a ton of different flavors and textures that all marry with a wonderful vinaigrette to make a delicious high-protein salad you'll love this summer. A serving has 274.2 calories, 29.6 grams of carbs, 8.1 grams of fiber and 10.2 grams of protein. Get the recipe.
With these recipes, you can enjoy meatless protein and have great dinners this summer!
