Skip to main content
<< VFA Home
salads, Whole Food Plant Based

Power Greens Salad

by Brenda Davis / Vesanto Melina
This recipe will train your brain to view salad as a satisfying main dish. When you are ready to eat, top the greens with two protein boosts plus your choice of optional additions for color and protective antioxidants and phytochemicals.
Total Time
20 min
Difficulty
Easy

Translate this page to your language!

EnglishEnglish
EnglishEnglishAfrikaansAfrikaansArabicArabicChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)Chinese (Traditional)DanishDanishDutchDutchFrenchFrenchGermanGermanHindiHindiIndonesianIndonesianItalianItalianJapaneseJapaneseKoreanKoreanMalayMalayPortuguesePortugueseRussianRussianSpanishSpanishTurkishTurkishVietnameseVietnamese
Simple Tasty Recipes

Ingredients for Makes 8 cups (2 L) Servings

  • -
    GREENS
  • 4 cups (1 L)
    romaine lettuce or mixed greens, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 2 cups (500 ml)
    stemmed and thinly sliced kale, packed
  • 2 cups (500 ml)
    thinly sliced napa cabbage or collard greens
  • -
    Protein Boosts
  • 4 ounces (120 g)
    Tasty Tofu Fingers (pages 132–133) or Tempting Tempeh (page 130)
  • 4 ounces (120 g)
    baked or smoked tofu or tempeh, cubed
  • 1 cup (250 ml)
    cooked or canned chickpeas, other beans, or lentils, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup (250 ml)
    edamame or green chickpeas, prepared as directed on package
  • 7
    falafel patties (120 g total) or other veggie balls
  • 4
    ounces (120 g) vegan chicken or beef

Time

  • Preparation Time
    20 min
  • Cooking Time
  • Total Time
    20 min

Goes Great with

Method

  1. Put the lettuce, kale, and cabbage in a large bowl and toss to mix. Just before serving, add 2 or more protein boosts and top with your choice of optional additions. Add the dressing and toss until evenly distributed.
  2. Tip: For an instant salad, double or triple the amount of greens and store in a large, tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. The greens will keep for 4 days.

Notes:

Optional Additions

  • Sliced avocado, tomato, radishes, or red onion
  • Grated carrots or beets
  • Chopped cucumber, bell peppers, or zucchini
  • Broccoli or cauliflower florets
  • Sprouts or microgreens
  • Sugar snap peas
  • Corn kernels
  • Sautéed mushrooms
  • Cooked quinoa, wild rice, Kamut, or other whole grain
  • Cooked and cubed sweet potato, yam, white potato, or squash
  • Seeds or nuts
  • Vegan feta or other vegan cheese, crumbled or cubed
  • Lemon-Tahini Protein-Plus Dressing or dressing of choice


Per one-half recipe*:

Calories: 225
Protein: 16 g
Leucine: 1,110 mg
Fat: 6 g
Carbohydrate: 30 g
Fiber: 10 g

Minerals:

Iron: 4.8 mg
Zinc: 2.2 mg
Calcium: 310 mg**
Sodium: 33 mg
Percent of calories from:
Protein 27%
Fat 22%
Carbohydrate 51%
*Based on 4 cups (1 L) greens plus 4 ounces (120 g) firm tofu and 1 cup (250 ml) chickpeas.
Analysis does not include the dressing, which will deliver additional protein.
**Check tofu labels. Calcium content varies widely depending on tofu brand and type.

About the authors:

Brenda Davis, RD, is one of the world’s leading plant-based pioneers and speakers. In 2022, Brenda
became the first registered dietician to receive the Plantrician Project's Luminary Award. Vesanto

Vesanto Melina, MS, RD, a popular speaker at health conferences worldwide, was accorded the prestigious
Ryley Jeffs Award from Dietitians of Canada. Cory Davis, MBA, PA.g, is a professional agrologist who
has worked in natural resource management since 2012.

Goes Great with

Cooking Convertion Calculator

Click here to open the convertion panel

Find the recipe you want using our search engine

More Delicious Ideas for You

Latest Stories

Nutrition

Download the Vegetarian Nutrition Booklet for Kids and Adolescents