One of the things I love about summer is that I can eat like a Queen without much effort. Mid July, our crisper is now overflowing with farmer’s market vegetables, none of which need much fuss or strategic planning in order for a memorable meal. Life gets a bit simpler (yet busier) in the summer and our meals tend to follow suit.
This salad is one such easy summer dish I made yesterday. It took about 10 minutes to prepare and it’s almost entirely raw. If there was such a thing as summer in a bowl this would be it. Tomatoes, corn, cucumber, red pepper, fresh dill, and green onion make up the base, while a creamy avocado lemon dressing ties it all together. The flavour is out of this world.
Instead of using a bean or legume for the protein (and requiring the stove-top!), I used hulled hemp seed, a complete protein containing all 10 essential amino acids and also an excellent source of B vitamins, folic acid, Chlorophyll, Vitamin E, potassium, and more (source). Hemp is easy to digest and a fun way to pump up any salad. A little bit goes a loooong way. You can find it in the natural food section of most grocery stores, as well as bulk food stores like Bulk Barn, online (see my vegan shopping guide here), and in health food stores.
Plus, it’s so darn pretty!
Each 2-cup serving of this salad contains 15 grams of protein, 11 grams of fibre, and 14 grams of healthy fats making it hearty and satisfying.
It also goes fantastic with my newest chip obsession – Neal Brothers Tortillas!
Speedy Summer Hemp Power Salad
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Yield: 4 cups
for the vegetable base:
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn (thawed & drained if using frozen)
- 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 & 1/2 cups chopped cucumber (about 1/2 an English cuke)
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 tbsp minced fresh dill weed
- 3 tbsp hulled hemp seed
for the dressing:
- 1/2 cup avocado flesh (1/2 a large avocado)
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp hemp seed
- 1/4 tsp fine grain kosher salt, or to taste
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1. Chop vegetables and place into a large bowl.
2. In a mini processor, process the dressing ingredients together until mostly smooth. You can also mash/chop/mix the dressing ingredients by hand.
3. Pour dressing onto vegetables and stir well. Now, stir the hemp seed into the salad. Season to taste and serve. Sprinkle with hemp seed on top because it’s pretty! This salad is best served immediately. With time, water will release from the vegetables and pool at the bottom.
Nutritional Info: (per 2 cup serving) 332 cals, 16 grams fat (2 sat), 28 g carbs, 11 g fibre, 10 g sugar, 15 g protein.
Summer at its finest.
Enjoy!
Hi Angela,
I made this for lunch today! It was absolutely delicious! Thank you :)
By the way I bought some hemp seeds today from the bulk bins but I also saw some that were packaged that read “Hulled Hemp seed”….what does that mean?
Hey Tiffany,
Hulled hemp seed is simply hemp seed with its outer shell removed. Hope this helps. :)
Love the look and sound of this salad!
I have no hemp seeds so is there anything I could sub with? Perhaps sunflower? X
Hey Lisa, You could really use any kind of seed (or nut) you like.
Just made this recipe and it is FANTASTIC! Definitely going to be a regular salad this summer :) Thanks for another great recipe!
Yum! I am always happy for a new salad recipe :)
YUM!!! Made this for dinner and it was fabulous!!!
I chopped my tomato and let it drain for a good hour before making the salad and I’m happy to say that the leftovers are still looking great – no sloppy juice at the bottom!
Thanks for another awesome recipe!
What a great recipe, thank you very much for posting. We’re going make a big bowl for this weekends neighborhood get together.
Yum!! I just made this for dinner and it is so delicious! I made it with the addition of some fresh summer squash and zucchini, but without hemp seeds. I’ll have to try it again when I can pick some up at the store. A delightful summer salad!
I love the idea of using summer squash…I’ll have to try that. :)
Wow I can’t believe how much protein a small serving of hemp seeds has! That’s amazing.
This looks delish. I love refreshing salads like this! been sprinkling hemp seeds on all my salads lately.
Hi Angela,
I love your blog and all your recipes are delicious. Your story also reminds me of my own story apart that my vegan & body loving journey is just at the early stage. Thank you for inspiring me to cook some delicious vegan meals.
I have noticed you are a runner and I am also one- I am currently training for a 12km race in august- can you please post a few tips on vegan eating for a race/ training?
Thanks :)
Hey Claire,
I didn’t eat much different than normal when I trained for my races. I basically just made sure that I had a bit more protein after tough runs, whether in the form of beans, legumes, nuts, whole grains, seeds or protein powder. Goodluck with your race!
I love hemp in salads along with sunflower and pumpkin seeds- makes an awesome Congo.
Haha I mean combo
Looks delicious and I need to try hemp seeds. I have never had them before but next time I am out, they will be on my list!
This looks delicious Angela! I’ve already pinned it. :)
Hemp seed sounds so good for you! Especially because I’ve gotten into the habit of “forgetting” to take my vitamins. It’s such a simple task but I always manage to forget!
We sell many products containing hemp seed at our booth at the St. Norbert Farmers Market! Check Out The Bread Lady if you’re there! Hulled hemp seed is also available. This salad looks absolutely scrumptious!
What a wonderful combination. Was so excited to get home from
work and whip this one up. Lucky to have almost all ingredientsoin hand. And thankful that the dressing could be made by hand cuz I’ve gone thru 2 KA mini food
choppers already!! Any other good ones out there you’d recommend? Thank you for the super easy nutritious salad! Definitely one that can be packed for a picnic or BBQ.
Hey Mara, I have the Cuisinart Smart Stick Immersion blender + mini processor. I’ve only had it a few months but no probs so far. I use my mini processor ALL the time!!! Love. I dont use the immersion blender as much as I thought I would though, so next time Id probably just opt for the mini processor.
and im glad you enjoyed the salad!
This is so beautiful! I tried hemp when I first when vegan last fall and loved it but haven’t bought any more since. I have no idea why! I’m adding it to my next Whole Foods run list and can’t wait to give this a try. I love any dressing made with avocado!
I always forget about hemp seed too and usually pass it by because it’s expensive, but Im always amazed by how long a package lasts me! I think I had my last package for 3 months in the fridge.
Yay! Other than a dill/cilantro switch I have all of the ingredients! Perfect!!
This is such a creative use for hemp! I always just throw them in my morning smoothie. Gonna have to try this recipe to find out what they actually taste like, ha!
Angela – I am absolutely thrilled about this salad! I’ve been on a hemp-seed kick for a couple of weeks while I’ve been out of nuts and trying to use up miscellaneous items in the pantry. Now I have a new way to enjoy them besides with my breakfast porridge :)
Now we are talking!!This sounds spectacular. My kinda meal… summer at its finest= is agreed!
This salad is gorgeous and looks incredibly refreshing! Thanks for the recipe:) Love the new banner, by the way. Cherries are the best!
Finally broke down and made this salad last night (first one of yours I’ve done!). It was mind-blowingly good. Probably will look for the smallest possible garlic clove next time as my kiddo didn’t care for the ‘bite’ of the raw garlic. But easily resolved! Thanks tons!
this is a beautiful salad! i have been super into corn lately and I never used to like it – i might just have to whip this up. hope you had a great week :)
I just made this tonight and wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed it! I bought hemp seeds awhile back, and haven’t ever even had them before, but they were just delicious in the salad! What a perfect meal for a scorching summer night :)
i made this lastnight. It was awesome. I’ve never used fresh raw corn and it was soooo good. I’m not sure why we cook it :-) can’t wait to make it for my daughter…she’s a huge avocado fan like me :-)
Wow! Great salad! I’m munching on it right now… And you’re right, I feel like I’m eating like a queen! I don’t have a food processor (working on it) so I was happy that the dressing ingredients turned out great just by mashing them together in a small container.
This recipe looks amazing, however, I’m wondering where the 16g of protein per serving comes in. I’ve tried a few brands of hemp seed, and 3 Tbsp is one serving, and that usually has about 11g of protein. This recipe makes two servings. Am I missing something?? Thanks!
Hey Liz, The extra protein comes mostly from the avocado and nutritional yeast. There are also 4 tbsp of hemp seed in the recipe, not 3, adding a bit more protein. I just double checked my entries in Nutrition Data (the website I use to calculate it) and I didn’t see any errors. Hope this helps & Enjoy!
Thanks for another great recipe! I made this today and it is so delicious.
I made this salad twice since Thursday along with the Triple Almond Cherry Squares….so yummy and everyone loved them! I am going to make that dressing and pour it over pasta…warm or cold…I think it would be so yummy! You never cease to amaze me Angela!
Oh, so delicious! I absolutely love avocado! Can’t wait to try this :D
Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln, that looks amazing!!
Am making it this week. The kiddos and I eat hemp daily.
Peace and Raw Health,
Elizabeth
Eating this as I type! Delicious! I added edamame and carrots(was out of tomatoes) and it turned out awesome! My meat eating husband tasted it and said “I could eat that every day!”. That says a lot! Thanks for the great recipe!!
Hey Sara, I’m so glad you both enjoyed it so much! I love your addition of edamame and carrots…I’ll have to try that!
Easily my favourite new salad, hands down. I love how fresh and summery it tastes, and even with all the protein in this salad, I don’t feel heavy or weighed down after eating it!
I’m allergic to avocado (very hard for a vegetarian) so I substituted it in the dressing with Tahini, and had to add a little more lemon and water to make the dressing a nice consistency. Let me say, with Tahini, this salad is also CREAMY, RICH, and full of healthy proteins and fats.
I also doubled the amount of corn (mmmmm) and will probably even do more next time.
This also might work nicely with a bed of spinach or very finely diced kale, for added leafy green goodness.
Keep up the life-changing work, Angela!
Hey Sar, Great call on subbing the avocado with tahini! I bet that tasted wonderful. My fav dressing is a lemon tahini based one. So very creamy! Glad you enjoyed it. Have a great week.
I saw this and had to make it!!!!! Let me tell everyone it is the bomb! I threw in quinoa and black beans. Even without those additions it would be super yummy! Make this and make your tummy smile!
This salad is DELICIOUS! Just made it, and am wolfing it down :) The dressing itself it really good too – might use this as a general dressing sometime. Thanks for a great recipe.
I made this for dinner tonight along with your stir fry and it was AMAZING. I will make it again tonight. Thank you so much for the amazing recipes.
Angela i just love your salads! Soo wonderful! I will add this to my “salad in a jar” lunch menu next week :)
Absolutely love this salad! Didn’t have any dill handy so made with a few mint leaves from my herb box and it was delicious! I actually don’t think I have ever enjoyed a salad (that doesnt have potatoes or pasta in it) so much. I served with your crispy potato wedges and have a picture on my blog if you want to check it out :) Thanks for all the lovely recipes
This looks totally amazing!! It has so many of my favorites – hemp, tomato, avacado, corn, etc! I can hardly wait to make this for our Labor Day cook out this weekend. But i really think I need to preview it tomorrow…you know, just to make sure that it’s as incredible as it sounds. Thanks for another amazing recipe Angela!
Hey Angela! I was wondering if I can add grains to this salad. If so, what kind of grains would fit?
THIS…IS…ONE…OF…MY…ABSOLUTE…FAVORITE….SALADS. OMG, this was really really good. I used green peas instead of corn. Everything else was sooooo divine. I especially love love love the dressing. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us :)
This is delicious mixed in with couscous!
Hi. Do you use the hemp seed whole or do you grind it? Thank you.
Hey there! The hemp seeds, along with the other dressing ingredients, are all tossed together into a food processor and processed. So no need to pre-grind them! Hope this helps.