If I owned a restaurant one of my main priorities would be to ban wimpy salads from the menu. It would be a Big Salad Only Zone enforced with salads the size of my head! *insert evil cackle* Salads that dreams are made of. We’ve all been presented with that sad restaurant salad garnished a few tomatoes and onions on top of a pitiful bowl of wilted lettuce. So tragic, isn’t it? The worst is when they have the nerve to charge $10 for such a thing. It’s just about enough to make a grown woman or man cry.
Let’s stop this insanity before it’s too late. I’ve created a Change.org petition…(just kidding!!).
How about offering a salad that’s satisfying enough to be a full meal rather than a disappointing side? Why not create something customers will rave about to their friends and bring in more business? I know it sounds crazy, but it just might work. Many restaurants already do meal-sized salads with great success; we just need to make hearty vegan salads more common on menus everywhere!
This salad is one I’d love to see on a menu at a local restaurant. A large bed of chopped romaine forms the base followed by rows of julienned carrots, red pepper, carrots, cilantro, toasted sliced almonds, and warm & comforting roasted sweet potato rounds. I just love beautiful food. Roasted sweet potato is a comforting, stick-to-your-ribs addition and a nice temperature contrast to the cool, raw veggies. My creamy almond butter maple lime dressing brings it all together. See the bottom of the recipe for other salad dressing suggestions if you are looking for options.
On the side, I served it with my Super Power Chia Bread spread with coconut oil. It’s a satisfying, delightful lunch that really goes the distance!
Restaurants: your move.
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The Big Salad
By
A hearty & vibrant chopped salad paired with a sweet and tangy almond butter maple lime dressing. Please note the measurements for the salad are approximate. Add as much or as little of each vegetable as you desire!
Yield
3 salads (estimate only)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ingredients:
For the salad:
- 1 large sweet potato, sliced into 1cm rounds
- 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
- 1 head romaine, chopped, washed, and spun dry
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 large carrot, julienned
- 1/2 cucumber, diced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- handful or two of cilantro leaves, chopped (or try parsley)
For the dressing (makes 1/2-2/3 cup):
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup raw almond butter (or roasted peanut butter)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup (or other sweetener), to taste
- 1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, to taste (optional)
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly coat the sweet potato slices with coconut or grapeseed oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping once half way through baking, until lightly charred and fork tender.
- Prepare salad dressing. Mince garlic clove in a mini food processor and then add the rest of the ingredients. Process until smooth. Note that the dressing will seem thin at first, but it will thicken up as it sits.
- Add chopped romaine into a large bowl. Layer on the vegetables (and almonds) in rows, if desired. Or simply mix everything together. Drizzle on dressing and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Tips:
For other dressing options, see: Lemon-Tahini Dressing, Cashew Lemon Tahini dressing, or Balsamic Vinaigrette
Cheers to Big Salads…and old reruns of Seinfeld. They never get old.
“But you had to have the BIG SALAD!!” – George Costanza
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{ 120 comments… read them below or add one }
I totally agree with you! A sign of a good restaurant is the quality of their big salads. I am so disappointed when bagged lettuce with some carrot slivers and a generic store bought dressing arrives at my table for lunch. Sometimes if i know that is going to be the case I either eat before hand and just enjoy the company of my friends or sneak my own toppings and dressing into the restaurant to pump up the bagged salad.
You are absolutely right! Big salads are the way to go. I hate seeing someone pay a ridiculous amount of money for a salad only to get something that would have them hungry again within 2 hours. THIS salad would possibly induce a food coma which makes it the queen of all salads, yo! Now, open that restaurant!
Mmmmm! So fresh and clean and awesome!
Definitely agree with everybody here…when a restaurant serves a side salad of spongy iceberg lettuce that’s a sign to make a break for it.
Beautiful pictures!
What a gorgeous salad and that dressing sounds amazing!
This is so pretty! I would love to see this on a menu, plus the portions are spot on. So many restaurant salads are either tiny or bigger than my torso. Not to mention the dressings are usually heavy and gross.
Now off to buy ingredients to make this for lunch :)
The salad is so bright and colorful, and the dressing…oh the dressing…I have a thing for a yummy dressing!
Restaurants also need to follow your lead on the healthy, yet insanely delicious dressing! Balsamic vinegar is great, but creamy vegan dressings brimming with flavor bring things to another level!
And I love that you included sweet potatoes! Roasted vegetables on salads are an all time favorite.
Have you eaten at Urban Kitchen up on the North Service Road just east of Dorval? Now that’s a big salad!
But I agree, there’s nothing more infuriating than iceberg lettuce at a restaurant.
Andrea, I’ve been wanting to go there! Thanks for the tip :) I drive by there all the time. Do you know if they have vegan options?
You pick all your own ingredients, and they have a few kinds of beans, avocado and a lot more. Lots of choices for oil based dressings too.
And the salads are huuuuuge. I work just down the street, so it’s one of my favourite places to go to treat myself for lunch.
sounds amazing! Will go there soon :) Thanks Andrea.
Preach it! Petition it! Could not agree with you more. I am always “that” person who has to ask for the side vegetable ($$$) to be added to my salad and then remove 1/3 of the ingredients that actually come with salad that are just garbage (fried sticks, bland croutons, etc). It’s ridiculous too what they charge for VEGETABLES for heavens sake!
Love your salad and eat like this and thoroughly enjoy it for many meals!
hah I love that you order a side of veggies for your salad – genius!! ;)
i’d sign that petition in a heart beat! i agree- big salads are what dreams are made of!
Yum! I love big salads – have to make one every day. I cannot stand it when restaurants give you tiny side or entree salads. Sometimes, as a vegan, that’s the only menu option and its nice when they (rarely!) have some substance! Going to have to try this one this week. That dressing sounds devine!
Yes please! One of my biggest pet peeves is wimpy looking salads – like the ones with just a few bits of iceberg lettuce and a couple of tomatoes and cucumbers. Not to be nasty about iceberg or anything, but it kinda sucks compared to other greens! This salad sounds delicious Ange!
This is great inspiration! I have so many butternut squash and cucumbers right now from the garden and I think instead of the sweet potato I could just substitute the squash as ANOTHER way to use it! I don’t think I can handle another batch of soup or puree right now. Thanks for the lovely inspiration.
Looks great! Since I am allergic to almonds I don’t really know what almond butter tastes like and, therefore, what would make the best substitute?! I can’t really imagine using PB on this salad (in the dressing). Do you have an idea?
I would suggest my lemon tahini dressing (linked at the bottom of the recipe) it would work really well on this salad I’m sure.
Delicious!!! Totally with you on the banning wimpy salads….far too many of them here in Ireland..lettuce, tomato and cucumber with a drizzle of oil….BORING! This looks sensational!
Who eats wimpy salads? Not this girl. I am also a fan of big BOLD salads that are packed with yummy ingredients. I love this salad dressing.. anything with almond butter wins me over!
Funny – I was writing about big salads today. Had some fab salads on holiday in Munich, and I’m bringing the spirit home with me :-)
That dressing sounds like the perfect compliment to the ingredients in that salad. I can’t wait to make a big batch !
I have been skipping the salads lately because I’ve been too lazy to chop veggies (lame, I know, it’s too hot here to want to do anything!). I think I’m going to have to get back to it, this looks so good!
I’m pretty sure I would live at your restaurant if you opened one. Are you trying to hint at something, Angela? ;)
I can honestly say I have no desire to open a restaurant. Maybe a smoothie bar would be fun though!
I wish I had this for lunch! Can you tell me where you got the bowl from? Looks like the perfect salad bowl.
You are right it is the perfect size! I love these bowls – from Ikea :)
now that’s a $10 salad!
Awesome Salad! I love it when your recipies are oil free or easy to omit the oil. I would love to see this one in a resturant! I hate wimpy salads too!
I fully support your hearty vegan salad initiative! You’re right, many restaurants do meal-sized salads with meat, but it’s tougher to find one that’s vegan. Add roasted sweet potato to anything and I am one happy girl!
Beautiful salad, Angela.
I used to think salads were meant to be side dishes only since they never left me satiated, till I began making my own giant ones that included plenty of protein & healthy fats. I can’t wait to try this dressing!
Even as an omnivore, I would routinely order a salad like this in restaurants. I’d even splurge $15 or so.
Love the Seinfeld reference, too. :-)
That looks SO GOOD! :) Now I’m craving a big salad! :)
This salad looks amazing! Since I eat a salad about 98% of the time at restaurants, I have experienced my fair share of salads, and the bad ones completely ruin my desire to ever return. It really shouldn’t be hard to make a delicious salad. Over the weekend I had one with sweet potato (first time I’d ever tried that on a salad), and I love it now! Funny that you posted this a couple of days after my first sweet potato on a salad. I want to leave work this instant to make it, but alas, I cannot.
Isn’t sweet potato on a salad the best? I love it so much. Same goes for adding a grain like quinoa on the base.
Great recipe Angela ! Thank you very much. I had some mini carots that needed to be used up before I used my sweet potatoes, so I roasted those in coconut oil instead with walnuts still in the shell. I also aded some pormegranate seeds radishes and watercress. I substituted the sesame oil for some tahini and threw in a few raisins too :)
Thank you for getting my creative juices flowing !
I saw your book in the store. It looks amazing ! Which food preparers have inspired you the most ?
yum! Big salads are a staple in my daily. don’t know what I’d do without them :)!
I have never been a fan of restaurant salads, so when I’m going out to eat with omnivore friends and they say “you can probably have salad” I just want to scream!
I would totally sign your change.org petition! ;)
Wow I think this is one of the first times that a salad made my mouth water! I think it was the addition of the sweet potatoes! Such a good idea! I agree, most restaurant salads are a huge disappointment and very over priced for some reason. Thanks for the dressing recipe, it sounds delicious!
Don’t you love huge salads with all kinds of delicious and healthy fix-in’s? YUM
Cheers to banning wimpy salads!!!
I’m so with you on that! I always need a salad with STUFF in it. Quinoa, beans, avocado, cheese, raw veggies…something! It can’t just be lettuce. So boring! I love your addition of sweet potato! I’ll have to try that one!
Just say NO to wimpy salads!!! I paid $10 for a beet salad last week that literally had 2 beets, 1/4 of an apple and maybe 10 arugula leaves. What. The. Heck?!?! Next time I want YOUR salad!
I would totally visit your restaurant! Half the time I order a salad at a restaurant, I leave still hungry. Where is the substance?! And why am I paying $10+ for a bad of lettuce and three cherry tomatoes?!
You’re so right that it’s hard to find a good, filling salad that isn’t full of meat, cheese & other fillers! This one looks so good – what a great addition the sweet potato is!!
This looks SO good! And your dressing is one of my go-to dressings for my own Big Salads! We have a Big Salad for dinner at least once a week. My friend calls hers Hugh Jass salads. :)
This is SO true! I didn’t come here for a little cup of wilting lettuce, I need stuff in my salad!
THIS LOOKS FANTASTIC!!! NOM NOM!
I love this salad! So colorful! I just ate at a restaurant the other night and order a salad and it was the saddest looking thing and cost me $15 :( ! My husband order ribs that were less than my salad.
I just posted today about how I need some salad variety in my life and bam this salad is it. I’ve never thought of putting cooked sweet potatoes in a salad but now I can’t wait to try it.
Now that’s a salad!
Angela, this salad looks so colorful and nutritious! Sweet potatoes are my favorite vegetable.
I pretty much never order salad out now unless I know the place as I’m always disappointed with the meager plate which arrives :( This dressing sounds amazing!
Yum! Just made this dressing (with some miso and rice vinegar added) and poured it over a big salad of spinach, arugula, carrots, onion, cilantro and basil, with chickpeas. It’s great!
I am so with you on the wimpy salads! I recently went to a sushi restaurant with some friends and ordered an avocado salad, excepting something with at least a little substance, but no, it was literally lettuce with a few slices of avocado. So not only did I look like I was starving myself, but I was also still SO HUNGRY! It was awful, and so not worth $10!!
Yes, thank you for saying it! I also like the sweet potato idea, never have I ever thought to put those in my salad.
Mmmm this sounds awesome. I love love love big salads and am continuously disappointed with the salads that some restaurants have to offer. I would love to walk into a restaurant and have this served to me!
Perfect Salad! Complete and tastefully nutrient.
[ Smiles ] Another easy to make vegan recipe that is both healthy and delicious!
Salads are one of those things that restaurants generally screw up every time. The one that comes with your meal is usually pre-made, cold salad/cold plate, and just pulled out of the fridge, right? No love at all. Salad “specials” are usually a let-down, too, as if just made up food about to go bad. The other things they mess up on: bad tap water at the table and bad coffee after the meal. This is so often most abused by the more expensive restaurants.
Phew- so glad you slipped the Seinfield reference in there at the end…. its what I think about EVERY time I make a “big salad” ;)
The *worst* is receiving a wimpy salad when you’ve gone to dinner with your non-vegan friends. It shows up alongside their burgers and steaks and they’re all, “Oh, that’s what it’s like to be vegan? Booooriiiiiing.” Such a lame representation of just how flavorful and varied a vegan lifestyle really is!
YES! This happened to me the other week and I was like this isn’t really how I eat!! lol. It’s frustrating.
Beautiful salad and stunning colors and images. And those sweet tater rounds are just so tempting and perfect, too!
So much goodness in one bowl. Love!
Almond butter, maple syrup and lime? That sounds like an amazing and inventive flavour combination!
I am so happy that you mentioned the whimpy salads and outrageous pricing for some restaurant salads! Part of the reason I hate going out for lunch is because I usually want and salad and what I get almost always receives the same reaction of, “I can make this at home and better.” I can’t wait to give that dressing a try!
I would absolutely love to try this salad with the lemon tahini dressing! Thanks for sharing!
Amen sister! I LOVE salads, but it’s go big or go home in my opinion. The salad offerings at most restaurants are abysmal at best, and sometimes that’s really the only vegan thing on the menu (or at least the only thing that can easily be made vegan). Many times I just order two salads. I mean come on people, just because we eat plants doesn’t mean we aren’t hungry! I love FOOD! :) Anyway, your salad looks fantastic…start a revolution girl! :)
My favourite restaurant here has an avocado salad that I order as my main. Lovely crispy mixed greens with olives, feta, sundried tomato and an avocado sliced on top. I skip the dressing and it is just perfect.
Totally agree with you–down with the wimpy salads!! ;)
YES!! Thank you! I am so in love with gigantic salads topped with anything I can find in the fridge… my current favorite toppings are raw almonds, sweet potatoes roasted in coconut oil, and snap pea crisps! I would totally eat at your big-salad restaurant :)
i love salads like this. i think of them as ‘everything but the kitchen sink” salads!
This looks perfect.. I love sweet potatoes in salad!
But my fav part of this post is the quote at the end ;)
“you know if it was a regular salad, I wouldn’t have said anything…”
100% with you on the big salad only initiative! Veggies are amazing–and more are always welcome! :)
Big salads are absolutely my go to, and it really is so disappointing when a restaurant has sub-par offerings, especially when they charge so much! This salad would totally hit the spot. The dressing sounds fantastic, and I love the inclusion of sweet potatoes. They always work to fill be up in a salad!
Now that is a big salad! ;)
I love the freshness and bright colours! Yum!!
xo ella
I agree!!!!!!! If I’m going to get charged big bucks for a salad, then it should a big yummy one made with HIGH quality ingredients:)
Love me a big salad… I’m fairly certain I could eat this whole thing myself ;)
I shall make and think of YOU and SEINFELD!!
haha I would be honoured ;)
Oh yum! I love big salads! There is a pizza place my sister took me to when she lived in wisconsin and they had a salad BAR and they made you the BIGGEST salads it was like heaven! I was like, yep, keep piling it on lol! I would so visit your restaurant and order from the “Big Salad Only Zone”. This looks so GOOD!
right there with you on that one… big salads in restaurants! oh yeah….
thank you!
Tonight! I’m doing it! How do you get your carrots chopped so nicely?
Yes!! This is what I would like to know as well :)
Hi Josephine and Marlene, I use a Kuhn Rikon julienne peeler :)
This is EXACTLY what I want to see on a menu in a restaurant. I think I’m going to make this to bring to school with me next week (ie: once I buy some sweet potatoes!).
I love salads and now I love this one best of all!! I love the addition of the sweet potatoes – something my husband really enjoys. I am really looking forward to when my chia seeds arrive from Bob’s Red Mill – I’m so making your power bread! You have THE best alternatives to things I can’t eat – thank you!!
I agree, ‘man up’ our salads. That looks so appetising.
Sweet potato can make any meal amazing. I love it in salad :)
Oh ANGELA!!:) You’ve outdone yourself here dear!! This is AMAZING. All my favorite ingredients too!! I think I might make a huge batch of this to eat off of all week!:) I LOVE this dressing recipe too!:) So creative and tasty sounding! Love, love love it! You’re so talented and your photos are so lovely. I also loved your tomato sauce recipe! I love to dip veggies in tomato sauce it’s so good:) When I was a little girl, I used to make my own sandwiches with bagels and marinara sauce lol- great memories, though my nutritional values have improved somewhat. I’ve pinned both your recipes ( the tomato sauce and this salad ) and am making both this week!:)
Lots of love,
Heather
I own a coffeeshop and we used to have a salad on our menu called walt’s big ass salad. I had to take it off a few years ago tho cause one lady made such a fuss about it.
I just had to tell you how much i love this salad dressing. Amazing!
Angela, it’s really nice to find these simple, yet delicious vegan salad dressings on your blog. I’ve had a hard time in the past finding salad dressings that are both healthy AND tasty. Looking forward to trying this one. Keep ’em coming!
I love that this is what I’m reading right now as I’m sitting here enjoying a nice big as my head salad for lunch. I think some people think that salads are either to lose weight or to fill in the meal. I disagree I eat salads because they are an awesome way to combine some really yummy ingredients. Todays salad is mustard greens, romaine, yellow and orange peppers with orange slices. The sweet peppers and orange help balance out that spice from the mustard greens and the oranges are so juicy you don’t need a dressing. You can blog about salads any day of the week :)
!!!!!! That is a BIG salad! Good job.
I made some sweet potatoes how you describe here- with the coconut oil and S+P- they were AMAZING. I had never tried making sweet potatoes like that before! I actually ate them as a side with your spicy BBQ chickpea burgers, which I cooked for my boyfriend and myself. He, a meat-eater, said it was an awesome meal and made him feel full without weighing him down- success! Thank you, Angela!
Oh my goodness, that dressing is AMAZING (and so are you!!)
It looks fantastic.
Yummm!!! That was wonderful!! It was so good I have dressing in my hair!! I have been following for a while but first time commenting. You have the best plant based recipes. Thanks for your great work.
Can’t get over this dressing! Absolutely amazing. I used stevia for the sweetener, and it only needed a pinch. I think the sesame oil adds something special, so add it if you have it!
I L-O-V-E this salad!!! I’ve been longing for a hearty, satisfying, easy-to-make salad dressing and this hits the spot. My husband is also crazy about this salad (especially the sweet potatoes and dressing!). Thank you for sharing this amazing, satisfying salad!
This is one of my favorite recipes. The dressing is absolutely amazing- I substituted raw honey for the maple syrup, and since I didn’t have a food processor just minced everything and whisked it. Thanks Angela for this revelation!
This dressing is amazing!!!! We are going into summer here in Australia so I’m looking forward to enjoying many of your salads :) you know how to cook healthy food that’s actually delicious.
Hi Angela,
I have become a HUGE fan of yours! I made this salad last week when my brother and his family were visiting. My brother is usually quite picky, but Loved this salad! I made sweet potato fry wedges, seasoned with chili powder, cumin, garlic, onion powder, and cinnamon, and placed them around the edges of the mixed salad. It was beautiful, and there was not a drop left. Thanks for an amazing salad dressing!!
Hi Helen, I’m so happy it was enjoyed! Thanks for your lovely comment :)
This is labeled as raw/oil free, yet you have baking and oil in this recipe making both of those statements false.
Thank you for your blog (I found it today!). I used to be vegan, then became vegetarian. I have been vegetarian for over a decade now, but am re-thinking the vegan option.
Finding your website has helped push me from the thinking phase, and into the action phase. I appreciate your contribution to my journey. Looking at your site, I conclude that if I really do want to eat like I mean it, then I have to eat like I want to be dynamically alive. For me, to be dynamically alive means that I must choose my food options intentionally.
I see from your blog that you are an intentional person with food, and I really, really appreciate that. Thank you for your contribution to the evolving people, and an evolving planet. :-)
Brought this salad and dressing to a Labor Day picnic, it was a huge hit. People were asking me for the salad dressing recipie they enjoyed it so much. I followed the recipie for the most part, the only change I made was adding a jalepeno to the salad dressing (mainly because I had a ton on hand for the garden this summer, and I love sweet with a little heat).
very nice!
So good Angela!! I left off the onion, used chopped instead of sliced almonds, and added roasted chickpeas for added substance. Definitely a keeper and repeat recipe.
Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes, it’s so nice to have a place to go where I know every recipe I try will be amazing :)
Loved this salad. We had it for dinner last night. Every one of your recipes that we’ve tried, we have loved. Thank you!
So glad it was a hit, Addie!
This is a gorgeous salad! I made the dressing and it’s hands down the BEST almond butter dressing I’ve ever tried, it has a great balance of flavors. I could have eaten it by the spoonful. Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Marianne!
Hi, I just read your quotes about Seinfeld and Elaine’s big salad and what George says as I am watching Dinner with Dad with Jason Alexander and his real life son Gabriel Greenspan (by the way, never knew Alexander is not Jason’s real last name). I just found this a quirky coincidence. Watching Dinner with Dad got me thinking of big salads and yours looks fantastic and I am sure I will make it!
Does the dressing need to be refrigerated if I made extra? I made it with sunflower butter so as to make it nut free!
Yes it should be stored in the fridge, and it’ll probably be good for 4-8 days (just guessing!) Happy salad eating!
Looks delicious! Which ‘tool’ do you use to cut your carrots?
I use a Kuhn Rikon Julienne Peeler (and sometimes I use my veggie spiralizer)