Fresh Asian-Inspired Vegetarian Salads and Slaws You'll Want All to Yourself

Do you go through the Phases of Salad Enjoyment like I do? Here’s how it works. I realize I haven’t eaten a vegetable in two days and I’m like “Who am I? What am I doing with my life?” I get all excited about salads and start making them again. But after a while, salad boredom strikes and I feel like if I see one more tomato or cucumber on my table, I’m going to toss them out the window and watch them splat in vengeful satisfaction. Unfortunately, this leads me back to the part when my diet is sadly lacking in vegetable-rich nutrition. When you, too, reach this unfortunate point, you need something to get you motivated. I suggest Asian-inspired salads like these, fresh, crispy, crunchy, refreshing, spicy, and oh-so-flavorful and textured - just what you need to get you back in the swing of feeling amazing and eating well.

Vegetarian Bánh Mì Salad with Chili-Garlic Dressing 

The brilliant mind behind Chef de Home readily admits that this salad is a far cry from the Bánh mì sandwich you’d get at a Vietnamese bakery - after all, Bánh mì is a term used to describe all types of bread, and this salad hasn’t got any bread at all. What it does have is tons of juicy, crisp veggies and gluten-free buckwheat soba noodles mixed up in a spicy chili-garlic dressing and crunchy peanuts on top. When you’re craving the fresh flavors of summer, start by mixing up the dressing, which requires just a few basic ingredients from your cupboard and fridge: garlic, soy sauce (make sure to use gluten-free tamari if you’re concerned about avoiding all gluten), chili paste, and vinegar. Cook the soba noodles - they’ll be ready in less than five minutes. Chop up your vegetables (Chef de Home used carrots, tomatoes, red cabbage, red peppers, and cucumber) and your peanuts. If you want to make the salad completely vegan, the creator suggests substituting a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for the chili paste.

Asian Quinoa Slaw Salad with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette 

If you’ve ever picked up one of those super convenient Asian salad kits at the grocery store, you know what a perfectly refreshing meal they can make. But if you really think about it, you’re totally capable of making it yourself for a lot less cash. The Kitchen Girls says this Asian Quinoa Slaw Salad with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette “looks like a slaw and eats like a salad.” Sounds great to me! When you do it yourself, you get to control your ingredients, save money, get a huge amount of slaw to eat all week, and use leftover ingredients to make other meals, which saves you even MORE money. Of course, you probably won’t have your mind on your money and your money on your mind while you’re stuffing yourself with warm, filling quinoa, crunchy toasted nuts, and richly flavored winter veggies all bathed in a tangy, gingery dressing. You can even make it a couple days in advance - just don’t add the dressing until you’re all ready to get munching. I'm thinking you could make this on Saturday or Sunday and be all ready to go for delicious work week lunches.

Asian Sesame Cucumber Salad 

This is for all you people whose loving grandmothers and aunts and cousins bought you a spiralizer last Christmas, and you used it once to make zucchini noodles (“zoodles,” as I understand some wacky people refer to them) and then threw it in a drawer to terrorize the other utensils in some sort of dark nightmare. It’s time to bust it out and put it to good use making this noodly-fresh Asian Sesame Cucumber Salad complete with a sweet and tangy sesame dressing. You’ve probably already got everything you need (besides the cucumber, perhaps - WHERE was this recipe when my garden was tossing out cucumbers like Christmas presents last month??). It’s crunchy, it’s full of flavor, and you can basically throw this together anytime you want because it is really simple and quick. Don’t feel forced to pair this with Asian food - if you’re tempted to just eat a quesadilla for dinner (not that I’ve ever done that constantly), whip this up while your tortilla is browning and ta-da! Nourishing veggie goodness!

Thai Rice Noodle Salad with Grilled Pineapple 

It’s getting downright chilly outside. If you can’t book tickets to Bali right now, transport yourself to tropical paradise with this Thai Rice Noodle Salad with Grilled Pineapple from Quite Good Food (uh, yeah, or like, really super amazing food...talk about an understatement!). For the noodles, you can use either the thin Thai rice stick noodles pictured or go with the wider pad thai style ones - or even vermicelli. While the carrots and cucumber used here look yummy, you can use whatever you’ve got on hand, even adding bean sprouts or sugar snap peas. Grilled pineapple is NOT optional. If you think you don't like pineapple, grill it and be astonished by the passionate love. You'll be overcome, I promise. The flavorful stuff is what’s really got me drooling: cilantro, mint, peanuts, green chili, sesame seeds, and a tangy lime dressing (with ginger, my favorite Asian flavor of all). WHY am I not eating this right now? Oh, that’s right, I’m still telling you about it. You’re welcome.

Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad with Sweet Chili Vinaigrette

Imagine your favorite fresh spring roll - but in a bowl. So light and flavorful, this Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad with Sweet Chili Vinaigrette is nothing but fresh veggies, herbs, crushed peanuts, and a stunningly dressing. You’ll be craving it constantly. If you don’t want to use vermicelli, you’ve got lots of other options - Feasting at Home suggests trying rice noodles, bean thread noodles, or even “Sea Tangle,” aka noodles made out of kelp. What? That’s too cool. I’m all about the mint, basil, and cilantro that give this salad its intense flavors. You can use whatever veggies you like - crunchy ones are best, like carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, and radishes. Zucchini noodles, turnips, kohlrabi, and radishes work too. If you omit the fish sauce, this is completely vegan - just use a little salt and soy sauce or a vegan fish sauce substitute for the classic Thai flavor profile.

Asian Pear Slaw with Ginger-Lime Dressing 

I tried an Asian pear for the first time just a few years ago and I was instantly hooked. The crunch of an apple plus the sweet mellow flavor of a pear? Yes, please. I always eat them skin-on, but for this Asian Pear Slaw with Ginger-Lime Dressing, Flavour and Savour peels them so you won’t have any toughness to deal with. To prepare them after peeling, you can use a julienne tool or mandoline if you have one, or just make them into matchsticks the old fashioned way - with a well-sharpened knife (for safety’s sake, please!). Whisk that ginger, lime juice, and rice vinegar and toss with everything else. If you are using a handheld grater to prepare the ginger, do not grate off the end of your thumb like I do every time. Add a little finely minced Thai red pepper if you desire, then try to be good and share (if you can!).