Summer Salad with Grated Vegetables, Candied Pecans & Oil-Free Dressing
Salads don't have to be boring especially if you are willing to use some imagination and some experimentation.
Salads can also be 100% healthy when you eliminate the oil heavy dressings and replace with a fresh oil-free dressing.
I love raw shredded vegetables in my salads because they add a lot of flavor, crunch and brightness.
The cruciferous vegetables also pack this salad with a strong dose of antioxidants. The nuts add a sweetness and a crunch, but you could always substitute the nuts for seeds.
If you don't have a box grater, I recommend buying one. I use it all the time for shredding cabbage for coleslaw, grating raw vegetables for salad and shredding vegetables like zucchini and carrots for zucchini bread or carrot cake.
The best part is, it is much faster than chopping. Hope you enjoy this easy vegan summer salad with oil-free dressing as much as I did. Wishing you a peaceful and compassionate day.
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- 1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 small head of radicchio, chopped
- 1 zucchini, grated
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 small bunch broccoli, cut into flowerettes
- ½ cup pecans (or any nut you prefer - also tastes yummy with sunflower seeds)
- 1 teaspooon vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon vegan brown sugar or maple sugar
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons plain hummus
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 2 teaspoons chopped shallots
- salt and pepper to taste
- Steam broccoli for a couple of minutes until bright green but still crunchy. Cut into bite size pieces.
- Set a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the butter and sugar and once melted toss in the pecans and continue to toss to coat and cook evenly, about 1 minute. Set aside while you prepare the salad.
- Make the dressing by combining all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk. Taste. Add water or more lemon juice to thin if needed. Season with salt and pepper.
- Assemble salad by tossing greens and radicchio with some of the salad dressing. Top with grated zucchini, carrot, broccoli and candied pecans. Drizzle more salad dressing on top and serve.
Hi Nancy,
This looks delicious! Do you blend the dressing ingredients together ?
Denise
Hi Denise – I just used a whisk but you could use a blender too. Thanks for being of our community!