There was once a time in my life when a salad felt like a punishment. A wilted bag of lettuce and dried-out shredded carrots, mushy tomato slices and some fat-free dressing made of who knows what. Thankfully, over the years, the fat-free and low-calorie chokehold that had its grip on me started to release as I decided that restricting myself in such a way was no way to live. There was a whole other world of food out there that I wanted to explore. Healthy fats became my BFF and variety became the spice of life.
Some days, it’s still hard for me to believe that a bowl so energizing and nutritious can also be so indulgent and mind-blowingly delicious. In fact, that became my goal as I delved into the world of creating plant-based recipes. When I’m not in mom-on-the-go mode, you’ll usually find me in the kitchen, recipe testing my latest obsession: hearty, feel-good plant-based salads. I could live off these fresh and vibrant salads for the rest of my life, along with green smoothies and chocolate desserts!
Since embarking on my journey to health in my twenties, I’ve always been the one among my family and friends to bring salads and desserts to social gatherings. I love big salads because they bring people together, and they are the perfect take-along dish for any gathering. Not to mention, they help your skin glow from the inside out and can be endlessly customized to suit your preferences, the season, or even your mood. I may be a recipe nerd (okay, that’s probably a fact), but I find them so fun to dream up and create.
And let’s be real, when done right, they feel like a multivitamin in a bowl. Salads can get a bad rap, as they’re often imagined to be these boring, sad little bowls of wilted greens and tired veggies. If you’ve ever asked for a vegan salad in a not-so-vegan-friendly restaurant, you’ve probably been served this a million times. I know I have. Maybe, like me, you’ve grown tired of plain-Jane salads and you’re ready to reignite your passion for these healthy plant-based bowls of joy.
To me, “salad” encompasses a huge array of different recipes that are bursting with creativity, varied ingredients, warm and hot components, raw and roasted, or steamed or pickled. Really, there are too many variations of salads to count, and I prefer a broad definition to include them all. That said, I’m also a firm believer that salads should be accessible with easy-to-source ingredients.
I truly hope Oh She Glows Salads inspires you to reimagine what salads can be…and shows just how satisfying it is to create restaurant-quality bowls right in your own kitchen.
Sunflower, Ginger & Lime Crunch Salad
Have you ever felt that a traditional peanut-based dish would be “missing something” if made nut-free? Well, not on my watch!
This Thai-inspired Sunflower, Ginger and Lime Crunch Salad is bursting with gingery, nutty, citrusy flavours. Toasty, chewy brown rice, crunchy red and green cabbage, sweet carrots, zippy bell pepper, cooling cucumber, citrusy cilantro, and crisp green onion come together to create an explosion of taste and texture.
It’s all drizzled liberally with my nutty, gingery, and bright Nut-Free Sunflower, Ginger and Lime Dressing, and sprinkled with crunchy toasted sunflower seeds. We love serving it with Shake-and-Bake Sesame-Crusted Tofu to amp up the protein.
This recipe makes a generous 11 to 12 cups (plus more, if using the optional edamame), making it a lovely salad to have on hand for luscious leftovers . . . if you can stop your family from eating it all in one go!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup (178 g) uncooked long-grain brown rice
2 cups water
Fine sea salt
1½ batches Nut-Free Sunflower, Ginger and Lime Dressing (see separate recipe)
2 cups (150 g) finely sliced green cabbage (2-inch/5 cm long strips)
1½ cups (120 g) finely sliced red cabbage (2-inch/5 cm long strips)
3 medium carrots (343 g total), peeled and julienned (2 cups)
½ medium English cucumber, sliced into matchsticks (1¾ cups/203 g)
1 medium bell pepper (210 g), seeded and thinly sliced (11⁄3 cups)
2⁄3 cup packed (21 g) fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup (39 g) thinly sliced green onions (3 medium)
¼ cup packed (7 g) fresh Thai basil leaves, minced (optional)
1 cup (123 g) frozen shelled edamame, thawed and drained (optional)
½ cup (75 g) toasted sunflower seeds
METHOD
1. Cook the rice: In a medium pot, stir together the rice and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, stir, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and gently simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until chewy and soft (but not mushy) and the water has been absorbed. Drain. Season to taste with salt.
2. While the rice cooks, make the 1½ batches of Nut-Free Sunflower, Ginger and Lime Dressing.
3. Prepare the green and red cabbage, carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, and cilantro, tossing them together in a large bowl as you go. Stir in the cooked rice (I prefer it warm). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Prepare the green onion and Thai basil (if using) and sprinkle them, along with the edamame (if using), over the veggies in the bowl.
5. Using tongs, portion the salad into 6 large bowls (about 2 cups per serving). Drizzle with about ¼ cup of dressing, and sprinkle 1½ tablespoons of sunflower seeds over each bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Nut-Free Sunflower, Ginger and Lime Dressing
INGREDIENTS
2 small garlic cloves (8 g total)
1 tablespoon freshly grated peeled ginger
½ cup + 1 tablespoon natural smooth roasted sunflower seed butter
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
3 tablespoons light tamari
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (or to taste),
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or to taste)
1½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1½ tablespoons water (or as needed), and fine sea salt to taste.
METHOD
1. In a small food processor, process the garlic until minced.
2. Add the grated ginger, sunflower seed butter, rice vinegar, tamari, lime juice, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil, and water (starting with 1 tablespoon). Process until smooth, 10 to 15 seconds.
3. Add more water, if needed, to thin the dressing. Taste and adjust any flavours, if you’d like, and season with a bit of salt, if desired (I add about 1⁄8 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon additional lime juice). The dressing will thicken as it sits; stir well before use.
Angela Liddon is the founder and creative force behind ohsheglows.com, an award-winning destination that has inspired millions with her healthy, plant-based recipes. Whether you’re a longtime Oh She Glows fan or new to plant-based living, Oh She Glows Salads will ignite your love for the power of plants—one flavour-packed bite at a time.
Excerpted from Oh She Glows Salads by Angela Liddon. Copyright © 2026 Glo Bakery Corporation. Photography by Angela Liddon and Eric Liddon. Published by Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House cCanada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.