Avocado Wasabi Salad
Yes, I know. It’s a salad.
Who wants to go to a vegan website and see a recipe for salad? I keep salads to an absolute minimum around here. So when one does show up, it’s a freakin’ delicious salad.
And this one is definitely freakin’ delicious.
I’ve had the idea of an avocado based salad dressing kicking around in my head for the last few days, and an avocado kicking around my kitchen counter. This salad is easy to throw together, and is a great entree salad, or a side salad for a dinner party or some such get-together.
The dressing is rich, and despite the title, is pretty damn tasty even without the added wasabi. You have my permission to leave the wasabi powder out altogether if you don’t like it or can’t find it.
I don’t know if my wasabi powder is old and has lost its kick, or if you need a massive amount of it to make things spicy (anyone with experience want to weigh in?), but this dressing was as mild as the day is long. It added a great flavor, but no heat. You may wish to add in your own wasabi powder slowly, tasting as you go, just in case yours is spicy.
The other ingredients are simple but flavorful as well. Pan-fried wasabi-soy chickpeas, sauteed broccoli, toasted almonds, and shredded carrots. I find this mixture goes particularly well together, adding crunch, sweetness, protein, and color. And they all pair wonderfully with the dressing.
Speaking of the dressing, it’s pretty ugly stuff. This isn’t something you’re going to want to serve on the side for your guests. Toss it with the lettuce and then serve it. Just trust me on this one. You’ll see when you make it.
Avocado Wasabi Salad
Serves 4-6
Greens of your choice for 4-6 people
1 Carrot, shredded
2 tsp Vegetable Oil, divided
1/2 to 3/4 Cup Broccoli, chopped small
1/3 Cup Toasted Slivered Almonds
1 Recipe Wasabi Chickpeas, below
1 Recipe Avocado Wasabi dressing, below
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Wasabi-Tamari Chickpeas
1 tsp Oil
1 Cup Chickpeas
1 tsp Wasabi Powder
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 Tbs Low Sodium Tamari/Soy Sauce
Avocado Wasabi Dressing
1 Ripe Avocado, diced
2 tsp White Wine Vinegar
3 Tbs Hummus, plain or garlic
1 tsp Stoneground Mustard
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Wasabi Powder
1/4 to 1/3 Cup Vegetable oil
Begin by whisking the dressing ingredients together, except for the oil. Whisk until smooth. If your avocado isn’t super ripe, you may wish to blend the dressing in a food processor. Slowly add oil until emulsified and the dressing is smooth, refrigerate until ready to use.
Toast your almonds in a dry pan over medium heat if they are not already toasted. Set aside.
In the same pan, add 1 tsp of oil and add broccoli. Sautee over high heat until the broccoli is beginning to color in spots and is bright green, but still tender-crisp. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside.
Add the second teaspoon of oil to the same pan and add the chickpeas. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cook the chickpeas until they are golden on all sides, using a spatula to loosen them as necessary, but don’t worry if they stick a little. Add the wasabi powder, sugar, and tamari and stir well. Remove from pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, add your salad greens. Add the broccoli, 3/4 of the chickpeas, 3/4 of the almonds, and 3/4 of the carrots. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Plate the salad, and garnish the top with the remaining chickpeas, almonds and carrots. Crack fresh black pepper over the top. Serve immediately.
If you are serving the salad later, do not add the dressing until the last minute.
PS – I have a new “like” button down there over the comments if you want to heart a recipe without commenting. :) And if you’re interested in what I’m cooking, and what us in line for the blog, become a fan on facebook.
Thank you for sharing this – I’m always looking for a good salad recipe, especially one with avocado!
There’s nothing wrong with posting a salad. I think it is beautiful, and it probably tastes good, too.
Avocado Salad sounds so good. I hope I could have one while having some music distribution around… Hope you could have freebies.
this salad looks fantastic. A great and interesting salad is hard to make and this kills it.
Also, I just received your book!!!! I am so ridiculously excited, the pictures are so so beautiful and the recipes look delicious. Can’t wait to start cooking.
This looks delicious! It’s not often you find a salad with such an appealing look, and it sounds like it would taste great too.
The wasabi I’ve used does have quite a kick, so I’d guess your wasabi had mellowed over time. Good suggestion to start slowly and add more later if needed.
That salad sounds delicious (and LOOKS beautiful too!) I think the flavors of creamy avovcado and spicy wasabi sound fantastic paired together!!
yum…this salad looks amazing! Avocados are one of my favorites and I’m always on the lookout for great recipes that include them!
Looks yummy, i have to try this!
Hi i’m “Harry the carnivore guy with the vegan lady-friend”. Catchy name isn’t it?
Cooking is a hobby of mine and for reasons you could guess i was referred to your site.
I absolutely love the food that comes from vegan-yum-yum. But before any of that i am in awe at the grace and design of this website, the refreshing sense of voice in the recipe instructions, and the personality found throughout all of it.
Kudos to you. For the good eats, the great views, and making vegan cooking something enjoyable for me and other non-vegmeisters.
H
oh. my. god. I. am. starving. why did I have to find your site when all I have to eat is a can of green beans? Guess it’s time to grocery shop. Instant fan of your blog!
OOH! I’m making this salad this weekend! It’s looks SO amazing!
By the way, it seems that straight-up wasabi powder added to a recipe results in hardly any wasabi flavor. You first have to add hot water (one-to-one ratio), mix it, and let it sit for about five minutes. It’s a HUGE difference to just using the powder.
Thanks for the awesome recipes!!
I really don’t like wasabi but maybe I could get into this!
Came to you through google searching Advocado salad. They are on sale this week, looks amazing.
Made the salad, though I substituted the broccoli for cabbage and only put a minimum of the oil in the dressing. It’s awesome though!!!
I’ve gotta say I’m really not a big fan of salads but this was absolutely delicious.
This salad looks so good! Here is a non-salad related question though…where do I find Sheese and Dr. Cow “cheese” in Boston? Does anyone know? Do I have to suck it up and order from the internet and have it be way expensive? If you do, let me know, I hate all of the other kinds.
just made this tonight, luckily everything was already in my pantry! so good. seriously, delicious.
In response to Nicole – I don’t know about Sheese and Dr Cow “cheese” but Daiya makes an amazing meltable vegan cheese that you can find at Whole Foods and a growing number of restaurants.
I made an amazing vegan wrap out of this recipe!
I made a thicker version of the avocado-wasabi dressing (doubled all the ingredients except the oil) and spread it on a whole wheat pita with some fresh spinach, shredded carrot, and the wasabi chickpeas. It made 3-6 servings, depending on whether you eat a whole wrap or a half (they’re gigantic!).
It packed well for lunch & I ate another for dinner! Delish!
p.s. My wasabi powder was about as spicy as it is on sushi, maybe just a tad less. It’s also a brand spanking new container, so maybe that’s why.
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Love the food pictures here!
I nominated you for a beautiful blogger award here:
http://www.crookedmoonmama.com/2010/03/winning-nominating-and-giving.html
I did a google search looking for ideas for salad ingredients to go with the Miso-Wasabi dressing I bought yesterday at the Farmer’s Market. Avocado, chick peas, shredded carrot, slivered almonds – just what I needed! I think I’ll add some pea pods also. I love the internet! Even though it’s not exactly your recipe, you provided just the inspiration I needed. Thanks!
So yummy! I love your recipes. I just got your cookbook and its already one of my top favorite cookbooks. Love it love it!!
This was fantastic!!!
The flavours were great and it was a very filling meal. Even my boyfriend and our exchange student who are quite vocal if there is no meat really enjoyed it.
Try this recipe! Its a good one!
Really nice
fresh and appetizing, thanks
I love the idea of turning this salad into a wrap–it’d be a great lunch to send to work with my husband!
You have been absent for a while again; I hope all is well with you!
Apparently this is going to be another instance where she doesn’t post anything for like 5 months.
She can’t bother to update her blog but she sure can post pics up on her flickr, and in a few months she”ll come back with some excuse and apology. I know staying at home take up “a lot” of time but i don’t think posting something up at least once a month is so difficult. All of a sudden after her cookbook comes out her posting becomes sporadic .theppk.com is a way better site. Isa may not make a post every month but thats because she’s actually busy working coming up with new cookbooks, which isn’t an excuse for Lauren. I’m done paying attention to this ridiculous blog that she doesn’t even pay any attention to herself. As soon as she got the money from the cookbook she stopped paying attention to those who actually went out and bought it
Honestly, I’ve got to agree with you, J–Vegan Dad has 4 kids and manages to post regularly. I forgive her for one absence, if it truly was medically necessary. But by letting her blog languish like this, she’s practically ensured that she’ll have no audience for a second cookbook, should she ever get around to writing one. I don’t think I’ll be coming back to this blog, either–there are many, many fantastic vegan bloggers who care about their readers. Lauren is obviously not one of them.
I understand folks’ frustration, but blogs are organic entities, that need to hibernate every once in awhile if that’s what their keepers need to do as well. That said, I do hope that Lolo will come back and give us more goodies! Her readers do need to keep in mind that almost all blogs kept by private parties can’t go on forever as people grow and change.
My husband and I keep a vegan blog (as well as personal blogs and other websites) and all of the upkeep can be very taxing. We have gotten a lot from VYY over the years- namely this most recent salad (YUM!) and the “Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta.” Seriously. Search for it on this blog. It will change your life.
While Lolo is resting, we would love to have you over to our house for dinner: http://irreverentvegan.com
Take care Lolo!
Whether you want to admit it or not, when posts are few and far between, people will eventually flock to other blogs and forget about this one. Just a fact. Either way, I will deal.
What I do feel badly about is the testers. I hope they have finally received their copy of the book. I’ve noticed a few angry posts about that and I agree it’s ridiculous and an embarassment.
Mmm this looks tasty!! It’s making my tummy growl!
I’m a tester, and I still haven’t received my book. I’ve tested for probably five different authors by this point, and none have been as ungrateful/neglectful (either intentionally or unintentionally) as Lauren.
Dear Lolo, I fall in love with your blog since the first time i saw it. Your beautiful posts inspires me to cook, excites me to pick up my camera to shoot. Your absence in this blog do brought up concerns to readers in different ways. Hope you are able to take it easy on the comments, alright. Different individuals handle situations differently; have different weaknesses and strengths. People’s words can be a killing tool, they can demoralize one’s spirit drastically sometimes. People may comment out of anger, frustration; people may comment out of concern, love, it doesn’t matter, k. Don’t lose yourself, even if at the end of the day, people chose not to visit this blog anymore or buy your cookbook, it doesn’t matter really. We have to realize that balance from within ourselves, take all the time you need, don’t set a deadline, because you might find yourself trapped by Time and readers’ Expectations, it’s a bad cycle, this may burden your stress level and pulls you down deeper. Don’t lose the most precious treasure you possess, that is your inner being, your pure consciousness. You know, no one human is perfect, we all have flaws, we all are learning, but many times we don’t realize our own flaws yet magnifying other people’s. You know, you are embraced with such beautiful and kind soul..though I do not know you in person, but in some way I feel connected with you, you are not alone alright. Sincerely wish you well, you formed a piece of puzzle in my life, a beautiful person I know of. Thank you! >_<
Made this salad last night for dinner. Delicious! Thank you so much for posting it! My 15 year old daughter dearly loves both wasabi and avocado, so I knew she’d love it. I served it as a special “welcome home” dinner for her. She had been a counselor at horse camp for earlier in the week.
Thanks again for the recipe! I am also loving your book!
I find that wasabi powder MUST be mixed with a little liquid and allowed to sit before it gets spicy. If you add it to things dry, it tends to lack that signature wasabi bite. I added it to some vegan mashed potatoes, once, and it tasted completely mild the night we ate it, then the next day as leftovers it had magically become spicy.
Thanks for all the awesome recipes, though I haven’t said it before. Whether you post twice a day or twice a year, I’m excited to see what you’ve come up with. I do intend to buy your book soon, but in the meantime I’ve gotten so many fantastic recipes for FREE from this blog, I can’t really thank you enough!
Hi, Lauren. Ignore the people who aren’t happy with you not blogging. You don’t owe it to anybody to blog and don’t really even have to give an excuse. The recipes that you have posted so far have been great; your cookbook is one of the nicest I have in my collection.
I’ll check in occasionally to see if and/or when you post again.
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VEGA-LICIOUS
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This salad looks delicious. Not a big fan of wasabi, but otherwise yummy. Lolo pleeease start blogging again. I’ve been reading your blog for a long time and every time I check to see if you’ve written, I’m disappointed to see the same recipe.
My girlfriend made this salad for me and added spicy microgreens and it was SOOO delicious. I love your blog and can’t wait to try more recipes! Keep up the good work -
It always amazes me how people feel it necessary to post hateful things….or how they have the balls to be so demanding…or how they think this won’t come back karmically to bit them on the ass.