This post is sponsored by NatureSweet, but all opinions are my own.

Salads and I have not always had the best relationships. There was a point in time where I thought they were a bit blahh and that’s because as a plant-based vegan foodie, I’ve been offered a side salad as a meal a countless number of times. It wasn’t until about a year or two ago where I began to love salads, my salads, because I learned how to dress them up and add the perfect toppings.

From chickpea caesar salad, buffalo chickpea, and cauliflower salad, and now to BBQ tofu summer salad and a Mushroom BLT, ya girl is a salad fan and when paired with the right fresh produce, I’m sure you will be too!

Salads have been a recurring meal for me as of late and my go-to toppings are fresh tomatoes, onions, avocado, a protein, fresh cucumber, something with a slight kick like buffalo sauce, fresh herbs, etc!

This week I whipped up two delicious salads: a BBQ Tofu Summer Salad and a Mushroom BLT! Both containing a piece of home, Oklahoma, and where I currently live, Arkansas! BBQ is a big deal in both Oklahoma and Arkansas. Arguably, Oklahoma has some of the best BBQ I’ve ever had but since going plant-based vegan, I’ve been making my own BBQ dishes like this salad:

This BBQ Tofu Summer salad has grilled corn, BBQ tofu, fresh Glorys tomatoes from @nstomatoes, sliced @avocadosfrommexico, and sliced Vidalia® onions from @realsweetonions.

The key to the perfect salad is fresh produce that is perfectly sweet, juicy, and ripe! The BBQ tofu was pan-seared and so flavorful! Extra-firm tofu that has been frozen and thawed out is my absolute fav!

Next up, I made a mushroom BLT using fresh mushrooms from the local Fayetteville farmer’s market and Cherubs ® tomatoes from @nstomatoes sliced avocados from @avocadosfrommexico, and sliced Vidalia® onions from @realsweetonion!

I paired it with my dairy-free ranch recipe that does not disappoint!

If you give either of these salad’s a try, let me know by leaving a comment or sharing on social media and tagging me @sweetgreensvegan

BBQ Tofu Summer Salad Ingredients:

Romaine and Kale - mixed

Sliced Real Sweet Yellow Onions from Vidalia® onions

Cherubs® tomatoes from Natures Sweet

Sliced Avocados From Mexico

16 oz of extra firm tofu (freeze and thaw out before using)

1 cup of bbq sauce

3 tbsps of liquid aminos

2 tbsps of olive oil

Top with dairy-free ranch
Instructions:

Cube the tofu and toss with olive oil and the liquid aminos

Add the tofu to an oiled skillet over medium heat and cook the cubes on each side until brown and crispy

Next, add in ¾ cup of the BBQ sauce and mix well. Let simmer until the BBQ sauce cooks down a bit (should cook for about 5-7 mins)

In a small mixing bowl, make the dairy-free BBQ ranch by combining ¼ cup of the BBQ sauce and 3 tbsps of the dairy-free ranch. Refrigerate until the tofu is finished.

Assemble the salad by adding the remaining ingredients to a serving dish/bowl and top with the BBQ tofu and BBQ ranch. Click the link to check out how you can create regional salads using NatureSweet Tomatoes too!

Mushroom BLT Salad Ingredients:

Romaine and Kale - mixed

Sliced Real Sweet Yellow Onions from Vidalia® onions

Cherubs® tomatoes from Natures Sweet

Sliced Avocados From Mexico

Croutons

Dairy-free ranch (recipe on my website)

2 cups of of sliced mushrooms (I used King Oyster Mushrooms)

Vegan bacon marinade (3 tbsps of olive oil, 2 tbsps of nutritional yeast, ½ tsp of liquid smoke, 2 tbsps of soy sauce, ½ tsp of smoked paprika, 2 tsp of maple syrup)

Instructions:

Coat the sliced mushrooms with the vegan bacon marinade and let marinate for 5 minutes

Cook in an oiled skillet until crispy

Assemble the salad by adding the remaining ingredients to a serving dish and top with dairy-free ranch. Click the link to check out how you can create regional salads using NatureSweet Tomatoes too!

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