A common question I get is “how do vegans and vegetarians get enough protein”? It’s actually easier than one would think. Vegetables have about 1 – 3 grams of protein per cup. Adding things like beans, flax or hemp seed, nuts, cheese or hard-boiled egg (for vegetarians) and TVP (texturized vegetable protein) boost the protein count. Here’s the protein, calorie, fat, fiber and sugar count for the vegan version of this salad per the amounts used in the ingredients list:
Protein = 44 total grams (avg. woman needs about 50 gr. daily, avg. man about 70)
kale (2), spinach (1), parsley (2), tomatoes (.5), carrots (.5), red pepper (.5), celery (.5), cucumber (.5), green onion (2), black beans (7.5), texturized vegetable protein (12), walnuts (5), hemp seeds (10), olive oil (0), balsamic vinegar (0)
Calories = 866 total calories (avg. woman needs about 2000 daily; avg. man about 2600)
kale (33), spinach (7), parsley (22), tomatoes (14), carrots (26), red pepper (23), celery (8), cucumber (8), green onion (14), black beans (114), texturized vegetable protein (80), walnuts (200), hemp seeds (170), olive oil (119), balsamic vinegar (28)
Fat = 48.5 total grams (avg. woman needs about 65 gr. daily; avg. man about 90)
kale (0), spinach (0), parsley (0), tomatoes (0), carrots (0), red pepper (0), celery (0), cucumber (0), green onion (0), black beans (.5), texturized vegetable protein (0), walnuts (20), hemp seeds (14), olive oil (14), balsamic vinegar (0)
Fiber = 26.5 total grams (avg. woman needs about 25 gr. daily, avg. man about 38)
kale (1), spinach (1), parsley (2), tomatoes (1), carrots (2), red pepper (1.5), celery (1), cucumber (.5), green onion (2), black beans (7.5), texturized vegetable protein (4), walnuts (2), hemp seeds (1), olive oil (0), balsamic vinegar (0)
Sugar = 18 total grams (avg. woman’s max = about 30; avg. man’s = about 45)
kale (0), spinach (0), parsley (1), tomatoes (2), carrots (3), red pepper (3), celery (1), cucumber (1), green onion (2), black beans (0), texturized vegetable protein (3), walnuts (0), hemp seeds (0), olive oil (0), balsamic vinegar (2)
The source I use regularly for nutrition data is a great website by Self magazine: http://nutritiondata.self.com/. It provides a detailed analysis of the nutrition content of food, as well as all types of helpful calculators. I highly recommend you check it out. (Disclaimer: the data above is for informational purposes. Exact measurements and daily needs depend on your height, weight, activity level, medical condition, etc.)
This makes about 7 cups of salad, which I split between breakfast (yes, I’m a huge fan of having salad for breakfast), lunch and/or dinner. If I’m really hungry, I can eat the whole thing in one sitting. In addition to getting all of your daily vegetable and fiber requirements, as well as the majority of your protein requirement for the day, it’s loaded with vitamins and minerals.
It’s very easy to make. It took me only 12 minutes to throw this salad together – including washing and chopping the veggies. (And I didn’t even use my handy-dandy Vidalia Chop Wizard that I normally rely on!)
My husband and I usually make a massive amount of this salad that will feed both of us for about 3 days. That’s a lot of veg!!
Ingredients
1 cup chopped kale
1 cup chopped spinach
1 cup chopped parsley
½ cup cherry tomatoes (diced)
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
½ cup sliced green onion
¼ cup TVP
¼ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup black beans
3 tbsp. hemp seeds
Dressing
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (or any vinegar or fresh lemon juice)
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & pepper to taste
Directions
- Place all vegetable ingredients in a large bowl and toss.
- Place dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake to mix.
- Place 3 cups of salad in a serving bowl and half of the dressing.
- Toss well and serve immediately.
- Store the rest of the salad in an air-tight container in the fridge for use at the next meal.
- Store dressing in fridge. Shake to mix before next use.
genevieve y says
Yum! Beautiful photos 🙂
Amy says
Thanks, Gen!