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!
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Speedy Summer Hemp Power Salad
Yield
4 cups
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
Ingredients
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 cucumber)
- 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
Directions
- Chop vegetables and place into a large bowl.
- In a mini processor, process the dressing ingredients together until mostly smooth. You can also mash/chop/mix the dressing ingredients by hand.
- 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.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Summer at its finest.
Enjoy!
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.