Vegan "Chicken" Salad (Oil-free)
You will love this healthy vegan plant-based oil-free vegan chicken salad! It is lower calorie than a traditional chicken salad and much healthier. No mayo! So easy to make and ready in less than 30 minutes!
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
DRESSING
- 1/2 cup (75g) raw cashews (or sunflower seeds for nut-free)
- 1/2 cup (120g) water
- 2 tablespoons (30g) white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
SALAD
- One 15 ounce can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup (50g) shredded/matchstick carrots
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 2 sticks celery, sliced
- 2 fresh large jalapenos, finely diced
- 2/3 cup fresh dill pickles, finely diced (not the juice)
- Small handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients listed under "dressing" to a high-powered blender like a vitamix. Otherwise you will need to soak the cashews for several hours or boil them to soften them first. Drain them and proceed. You will need to blend the ingredients until the dressing is completely smooth and no bits of nuts remain. You will have to scrape down the sides a couple of times during this process. Set aside to thicken while proceeding with the next steps.
- Add the drained white beans to a large bowl and roughly mash them so they are no longer whole but not hummus.
- Add the carrots, bell pepper, celery, jalapenos, and pickles.
- Pour the dressing over the ingredients and stir for several minutes until well mixed and thick. Season with salt and pepper, as the veggies of course have no seasoning so I found that the salad needed some salt and pepper after mixing. Season to taste.
- Place in the fridge for about an hour to marinade and absorb the flavors. Overnight works too if you want to make this ahead!
- Garnish with fresh parsley right before serving. I loved to serve this with quinoa rice cakes for a lower calorie meal, but you could also spread this on sandwiches, toast or protein bagels.