6 Easy Breezy Meatless Summer Salads

Spring Salad: Edible Flowers and Dandelion Greens
Spring Salad: Edible Flowers and Dandelion Greens

Hearty meatless salads are a great option for packed lunches, picnics, cookouts, and even quick weeknight summer dinners. Loaded with nutritious and filling ingredients like beans, lentils, sweet potatoes and quinoa, these salads are also super-versatile.

Stuff these tasty salads in a pita, make a sandwich or wrap, or serve over greens. Whip up one of these delicious recipes and you've got plenty of lunch options for the week!

The recipes below are delicious as written, but many can also be customized based on what's in season, what's in your pantry, or what's on sale at your local market. You can also try this easy 5-step guide to make meatless salads.

1. Sesame Tofu + Broccoli Salad
This warm sesame dressing is so satisfying, and even seems like a comfort food -- surprising, for a salad! You can preparethe dressingahead of time, and the best way to warm it up is to put it in a bowl, and submerge it in hot water.



2. Rainbow Salad with Umeboshi Dressing
Thispapaya-avocado-beet-tofu salad is SOOOO good, we could not resist sharing it!



3. Smoky Chickpea and Watercress Salad with Mango and Avocado
Once roasted, the chickpeas take on a lovely mahogany color and a deep smoky flavor that make a terrific snack on their own. They can also be used to add interest tosoupsor cooked grains or otherrecipeswhere a smoky flavor is welcome. Our favorite way to serve them is inthis Smoky Chickpea and Watercress Salad with Mango and Avocado.



4. Gluten-Free Sweet Cilantro Pasta
Do we need to say more?



5. Kale and Golden Beet Salad
This saladshould be a staple in every home. And even though it holds over very well in the fridge for a few days (which makes it a great make-ahead salad), we can't seem to keep it around for very long. A few notches above an ordinary green salad in the nutritional department, thekaleand beets pack tons of vitamins and nutrients, while the zippy garlic-ginger dressing will make your taste buds wake up and sing, "Hallelujah!"



6. Sweet Potato, Red Cabbage and Kelp Noodle Bowl with Rich Miso Dressing
Seaweeds are a great addition to a health promoting diet. Kelp, and other seaweeds, offer a rich source of vitamins and minerals including iodine, magnesium, and B vitamins. These nutrients are essential for a healthy thyroid, combatting stress, and helping the body detox from harmful toxins.This recipe is quick, delicious and invigorating! You can serve it warm or cold, as a main or side dish. It offers protein, probiotics and antioxidants!



This post was originally published on One Green Planet.

Enjoy more vegan, dairy-free, meatless summer recipes by One Green Planet on Yahoo below:

1. 6 Easy Breezy Meatless Summer Salads
2. 15 Greatest Veggie Burger Recipes
3. 25 Cool Summer Vegan Dessert Recipes. Hell Yeah!
4. 8 Amazing Ways to Use Coconuts This Summer (With Recipes!)
5. 15 UNBELIEVABLE Raw (No-Bake) Dessert Recipes for Summer