This summer marks my fourth year since I started experimenting with vegan recipe development. In what feels like the blink of an eye, I’ve shared over 400 recipes (and many more photos) with you on this blog. When I started out I didn’t know how to cook a simple potato or chop an onion. Seriously. Thankfully, the wondrous internet reassured me that I was not the only person to ever type such a question into a search engine. Whew. Aside from cooking, I’d never shot a picture of food in my life, nor did it ever cross my mind to do so. Now, a day doesn’t go by when I don’t pick up my camera or chef’s knife.
Eric, who claims he does not like cooking (but loves eating), mentioned how he hates when recipes say “season to taste”. [I don’t know what it’s supposed to taste like if I’ve never made it before!] I can’t help but smile when he says this because I used to be in his shoes, scared to make a simple ingredient decision for fear of ruining the entire thing. It gets easier though. My biggest mistake starting out was probably under-seasoning my food or avoiding salt all together. Now I know that adding salt to taste is something you get a sense for with experience. When the flavours pop, I know I’ve hit the sweet spot.
So while I don’t quite believe the saying that practice makes perfect, I do think that practice builds experience and confidence. This is true for so many things in life. The more I work at it, the more fun it becomes. Now when I cook for pleasure, it’s fun to throw things into a bowl and trust my instincts.
Another surprise for me on this journey has been about the food itself. I’m in awe of the recipes that I can make using simple plant-based ingredients. Each week brings about new inspiration and new discoveries. I feel like I’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg as to what I can create. It’s exciting to look down and see a plate of food that looks as vibrant as I feel on the inside. Being able to share this passion with you, is really what I enjoy the most.
The base of this salad is made with plump soaked almonds. As I mentioned in my last post, soaking almonds in water for several hours allows the nutrients in the almonds to be absorbed better in the body. After soaking and rinsing, I processed the almonds into a flaked texture as the base for my salad. It worked perfectly and the salad has such a great, chewy texture.
To bulk up the flaked almonds, I added celery, garlic, and green onion for more flavour and crunch. Finally some oil-based mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and lemon juice brought everything together. The end result is creamy, crunchy, a bit tangy, and seriously, seriously hard to resist. I couldn’t stop eating it straight from the bowl! It got to the point where I was worried that I wouldn’t have enough salad left to photograph. hah. This happens to me a lot actually. I’d be horrible on a cooking show because I’d just want to stuff my face the entire time while trying to pretend like I’m a civilized human being.
If you’re looking for a fun summer finger food, you can serve it on top of cucumber slices for a refreshing, light appetizer. I used a metal teaspoon to carefully scoop a well into each slice. We enjoyed this for lunch and it was so refreshing! The only thing I would change next time is to peel the cucumber first. The skin was a bit hard to chew through.
You can also serve this mixture on top of a salad (love), stuffed into a pita or wrap (also love), or as a hearty dip for crackers (such as during a 10pm fridge raid).
Rather than using tuna fish to create this salad, my plant-based version uses raw almonds which are soaked until plump and then processed until flaked in texture. Once the flaked almonds are mixed with some vegan mayo, Dijon, celery, green onion, lemon, garlic, salt, and pepper, it turns into a creamy, fresh, and crunchy topping for a salad, crackers, sandwich, or wrap. 
Flaked Almond "Tuna" Salad
Yield
Serves 4Soak time
3 to 9 hoursPrep time
Cook time
0 minutesTotal time
Ingredients
Directions
Tip:
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
The 2013 VegNews Veggie Awards are going down once again! I’m delighted to be nominated in the Favorite Blog category for the second year in a row. Once again, there are all kinds of incredible prizes up for grabs such as a week long, all expenses paid Caribbean Cruise (!), Breville juicer, weekly cookie deliveries, and more just by filling out the survey. If you think Oh She Glows is worthy of such an award, I would be so grateful for your vote of support (Favorite Blog category is found on page 5 of the survey, by the way).
Yum! This recipe looks great. I might have to make some for my salads this weekend! And congrats on the nomination again – your blog is great and I have missed more frequent posts the last few months. (It’s the first thing I check every morning when I get to work!)
This “tuna” salad sounds AMAZING! I want some!!!
Congrats on your nomination! Best of luck and keep on cooking!!
You are more than worthy of such an award! I will gladly vote for you. No one taught me to cook growing up but I’ve learned so much through reading great blogs like yours. I agree that trusting your instincts usually ends well.
So interesting that you used soaked almonds to mimic tuna. It looks delicious and so creative!
Voted for you!
Also finally convinced to start soaking my almonds :)
My cooking has come a long way, but I think I still side with Eric half the time. A work in progress! :) Thanks for the recipe.
This is such a unique idea – I love it!
Congratulations on your nomination. And this recipe is making me drool
I’m passing this on to my friend for an appetizer idea for her wedding. She wanted a few vegan options and the little cucumber slices look perfect!
It’s always so awesome to look back and see how we’ve evolved in our cooking. The first time I made mashed potatoes (I was 8) I threw the potatoes in whole. No one stopped me. Cooking Tough Love 101!
I love this idea! Canned tuna always freaks me out a bit, but it’s such a quick and easy lunch. I will definitely be making this in it’s place from now on.
I also love the walk through of how you’ve grown in your cooking abilities. I can definitely relate to it- as 4 years ago, when my fiancee and I first were dating, I made him banana pancakes which ended up being burnt on the outside and still soggy in the middle. I just had no idea what I was doing. Now, my fiancee can’t even remember the last time he cooked because I love experimenting in the kitchen so much!
Such a unique idea for a tuna alternative! I would have never thought to use nuts! I’ve done chickpeas in the past and it turned out great! Excited to try this new combo out.
This looks amazing! I’ve had “tuna” made from processed chickpeas before, but never almonds. I think this would have a heartier consistency, which is something I look for in a dip or sandwich! Can’t wait to try it!!
Also, just voted for you on the VegNews Veggie Awards! You ARE my fav blog. Your blog has been an incredible source of inspiration for me. I’ve only been eating entirely vegan/plant based for about a year, but your recipes got my husband (and entire family) to see that eating a plant-based, vegan diet does not have to equal bland salads and boring food!! They no longer try to sneak bacon into my food! hehe Thanks for all the inspiration and motivation here! I hope you win! =)
Oh gosh! I thought you were actually eating “Tuna” Good one!!! I love all your recipes and so happy you have shared them with us.. I look forward to voting for you again this year! :)
I love the way you’ve served this up!
This faux tuna salad is brilliant and congrats on your nomination. You totally deserve it! Your blog is my absolute favourite for the recipes, gorgeous pictures, and your writing :)
I love the hollowed out cucumber rounds as the base for these. And years ago, like 2009-ish, I used to make tons of mock salads like this. They clearly weren’t as photographic and gorgeous as yours! I bet yours tastes so good, too! The colors are stunning!
What a great idea! I have to try soaking almonds… never done it before, mostly out of laziness!
What a fantastic and creative way to eat delicious soaked almonds! Question…could almond pulp be used or would it be too dry? I’m thinking it would be a great way to use the leftover pulp after making your fresh almond milk! Thank you!
Hmm, good question. Well the almond pulp wouldn’t give the texture the processed almonds would, but maybe the veggies could make up for that or you could always add more chopped almonds to go along with the pulp?
Wow! I just made this with the soaked almonds (not just pulp) and it is incredibly delicious! I didn’t have kelp flakes but I did have dulse flakes so…in they went. Excellent recipe! I’ll wrap it either in nori or romaine leaves with cucumber spears for a tasty and healthy lunch tomorrow. I’ve made a bunch of your recipes and they NEVER disappoint. Totally awesome. Thank you!!!
I was wondering the same thing! I think I’m going to give it a try and maybe add some extra chopped almonds like Angela suggested.
yes, I have used the pulp from almond milk for a recipe similar to this — it’s a little dryer of course, more like a “tuna” salad w/Vegannaise. But I like this recipe’s lack of packaged food. I’d suggest giving it a try and maybe adding a little water or oil if it seems dry.
I love love love almond spread, especially when it is bulked up like this!
This is such a cool idea – I would never have thought to use almonds for TUNA! The more I experiment with vegan switches, the more plants amaze me. Like making an alfredo sauce that tastes JUST like the real thing, except it was made completely with nuts. I love it!
It’s amazing the things you can learn about cooking after some time spent in the kitchen. I started reading your blog about a year and a half ago and I’ve loved it all the way! I can’t wait to learn about new plant based recipes and how I can incorporate more healthy foods into my diet. Quick question for ya- what kind of food processor do you own?
Such a creative “tuna” recipe! I love the way soaked almonds look… they become so vibrant!
This sounds original. I like the idea of using almonds. Looks like it will be a winner! Great blog.
This sounds delicious Ange, and that’s coming from a hardcore tuna lover! I recently shot a recipe with the cucumber cup idea and found the same thing as you – definitely better done with the peels off!
What an interesting idea! I’ve never thought to used soaked almonds for anything but almond milk, honestly. This sounds like the perfect way to enjoy them!
This looks great, thanks for sharing!
This looks ridiculously tasty – Can’t wait to give it a try! <3 Perfect for non-vegan guests who want to try something plant-based but are used to more traditional meaty dishes. Yum!
Thanks for this! My garden has produced an abundance of cucumbers and I have been looking for other ways to serve them! This looks wonderful!
Your photos are beautiful!
This looks absolutely delicious! I will have to give it a try, I like cold refreshing lunches like this, this would be such a nice dish to bring to a picnic or barbecue too.
This looks so yummy! I have to agree with Eric…season to taste is so vague! I tend to under season everything too!
I just made this! I made the “creamier version” in the vitamix. ooooh myyyy! It’s really good. Hubby likes it, too. It’s gonna be picnic food for us tomorrow.
YUM! I’ve made vegan “tuna” salad before but always use walnuts. Next time I am definitely going to try almonds and can only imagine how much more delicious it is!
Love this idea! Usually I use chickpeas to make vegan tuna, but this looks more convincing, and more spreadable. Can’t wait to try it!
Congrats on your nomination, Angela!
Also, I am pinning this salad recipe for next week! I started soaking almonds for homemade milk this past year, and I am kicking myself for not doing so sooner. They are amazing! I always sneak a few before I toss them in the blender. :)
What a great looking salad! I’d love to put that into a sandwich. Yum!!
This is an absolutely fabulous idea. Thought about the cucumbers- rather than hollow them out, just use much thinner slices and put a schmear on top. Or- baby cucumbers! I just started seeing these in my local chain grocery store, and I would bet the skin is not nearly as tough as that of full grown cukes.
WOW Thats everything I love!! Thanks for this great recipe x
definitely gona try it….thanks for great recipe…
Hi Angela,
Voted… and in my opinion you are already the winner! A really great blog that I look forward to and tell everyone about!! Thanks so much for all your work.
Anita
I don’t have vegan mayonnaise and have no idea where the heck I would even find them in this small town I live in, haha! But I really want to make this recipe. It sounds yummy and I the little cucumber boats to serve are just freaking adorable(: What could I use in place of that? Almond milk? Or would that be too thin? Thanks.
Hey Sarah, There are many oil-based or egg free mayo’s on the market (without the vegan label) and some happen to be vegan, so I would check some labels in your store just to see. Its also possible to make it at home quickly – I have a recipe for it coming in my book. I think almond milk would be much too thin and wouldn’t give the salad the creamy texture. You might be able to get away with cashew cream making adjustments to the dijon, lemon, etc as needed.
Walmart now sells a vegan mayo called “Just Mayo.”
Oh, Angela! You are always creating recipes that are out-of-the-box, and so delicious! Thanks for another great vegan lunch!
Mmmm…looks yummy!
So beautiful and looks delish!
This is SO good, and I had everything on hand! Thank you!!
Hi Angela! I had some soaked almonds in the fridge per the suggestion of your last post so I decided to make this for lunch today. It turned out fantastic-I was out of celery so I used carrots and I added tomato and a splash of vinegar. I will be making this again-thanks for the post and looking forward to your cookbook!
Hey Nicole, so glad it worked out for you! Thanks for letting me know.
Just made this… it’s amazing! I think it just became my “favorite lunch of the moment” too!
Awesome to hear, thanks for trying it!
What a journey! I can relate a lot. I went vegan 4 years ago and prior to that didn’t know how to cook a thing. Now I love cooking so much and have just started blogging to share that passion.
The looks a fantastic dish. I love the little cucumber cups but am probably more likely to just pile a heap on a big leafy salad for lunch :)
Angela,
This almond tuna salad just blew my mind…you are totally awesome.
My husband will be so-o-o happy!
THANK YOU!
I just made this for lunch today. O.M.G! Amazeballs! Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe x
So happy you enjoyed it Jenny!
Oh I love this! I’ve not made it in a while. Yum!