Superfood Salad with Maple Vinaigrette comes together fast with fantastic flavor. Eleven superfoods are combined with a perfectly balanced dressing.
Salads have so much going for them. Whether they’re leafy green salads or veggie salads or pasta salads there seems to be no end to the variety.
They also all seem to be easy to make with a bright fresh taste. They may not be packed with superfoods but they are so good for you. ‘A salad a day’ is my motto.
Now, if you want to concentrate on superfoods then this is the salad to set your eyes on. Eleven different nutrient and vitamin packed foods all in one recipe.
This happens to be a hefty salad that will fill you up for hours and it has lots of protein all working for you.
Table of Contents
Should Frozen Edamame Be Cooked Before Adding to Salads?
Yes! Frozen edamame needs to be pre-cooked before adding to salads.
In fact, they need to be cooked before adding to any other dish. If you miss this step then your edamame will be tough.
Follow the directions ont he package. Let cool and refrigerate until using.
Now, you’re golden.
What Makes a Great Maple Vinaigrette?
To start with, the measurement of oil to vinegar is usually 3 parts oil and 1 part vinegar. Not always, usually.
Use extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil and apple cider vinegar is very nice for the vinegar. Red wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar, and even balsamic vinegar are sometimes used.
Now to add the extra flavors. Maple syrup of course but just a little bit.
Dijon mustard is often used but I don’t know of a vegan Dijon mustard. That’s okay. A little yellow or brown mustard goes a long way and tastes just right.
If you know a certain Dijon is vegan then, by all means, use it. Dijon may have ingredients processed with animal by-products so that would probably entail emailing the company.
Always salt and pepper.
A Salad Bonanza
I have a few other salads that are majorly healthy in the superfoods department. If you want to take a quick and jump on over to them by clicking on their links.
They are:
Vegan Apple Broccoli Salad. You may already have seen this as it is one of the most popular recipes on my blog.
A substantial recipe is Fully Loaded Black Bean Salad. That makes a great lunch any time of the year.
Last but not least is the beautiful Asparagus Couscous Salad which makes a great side dish too.
And then I have six pasta salads and one potato salad. I guess you can see I really really like them.
Well, wait! Let me show you a few goodies to make life easier.
Superfood Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
Ingredients
The Superfoods!
- 1 cup cooked lentils
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1/2 cup edamame from a can and drained
- 1/2 cup about 1 carrot, grated
- 1/2 bunch kale
- 1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup onion - red onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
The Maple Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pinch ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the Maple Vinaigrette.
- Break up the kale into small pieces and place in a large bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the kale and massage it with your fingertips. This breaks down the kale and makes for a delicious salad green. It only takes a couple of minutes.
- Add all of the superfoods to the bowl and toss. Serve!
Ashley - Forking Up
I’ve been kind of uninspired with salad lately. But it really is the best thing to eat in summer! I love the flavors here.
Caitlyn Erhardt
This sounds so yummy! I love vinaigrette type dressings so will give this a try!
Colleen
I’m a salad a day girl too, and this salad is so super food, and also delicious looking! I will be making this soon to bring to work. So good.
Jacqueline Debono
This is a great salad. I love the idea of using maple syrup in the dressing and the inclusion of cranberries and blueberries. Have to try that!
Danielle
What a beautiful looking salad. So much colour and so good for you too!
Jon
Can this be frozen, please?
Ginny McMeans
Unfortunately no Jon. One of the great part of this recipe is that it is so fresh. Some of these veggies would not come back after freezing.
Shirley Tucker
Hi. Love your site. I sometimes cook Vegan meals for other people and your site is such an inspiration, especially the freezing options.
For this recipe, I can only find frozen edamame around here. I know that’s fine to use, but do you think I should cook them before adding to the salad?
Thanks.
Ginny McMeans
Thank you so much and great question Shirley. yes, you have to cook them first or they will be tough. Then let them cool and put them in the fridge until you use them. I’ll add that to the recipe too. Thanks!
April
This is delicious!! Only thing i did different was replace the edamame with sugar snap peas.
Ginny McMeans
That sounds delicious too April!
Terry
This was really tasty. Added cauliflower because I love raw cauliflower in a salad. A great lunch!
Karen Webster
I cut and paste my opener from another salad and review: “The Forth of July weekend one of my 10 houseguests is a cancer survivor and MD. She is a very healthy vegetarian. So hearty sides with packed with good stuff is a huge priority to serve as sides that will be enjoyed by the carnivores!” This salad is incredible and meets the need mentioned above, was loved by us, and is great for getting organized and prepared before the guests arrive. This is one of those recipes that if you make it and love, as I did, then you think about it all the time and want it again soon! The flavors, the texture and the taste are fantastic!