Lately, I’ve been having the strongest craving for spicy food. I have no idea why. I’ve never been particularly fond of it, but over the past couple of weeks, I’ve found myself sprinkling cayenne pepper on absolutely everything. From yogurt, to salads, to fruit… you name it. A few days ago I ate an entire bowl of cut up strawberries loaded with cayenne and black pepper, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. All that after eating roasted chipotle salsa with a spoon, right out of the jar. Sounds insane, I know.
Obviously, my body is craving something. What, I’m not sure. But I better figure it out soon, because my stomach is not very happy with me at the moment.
I was on this spicy food kick when I made the Israeli Carrot Soup for the first time. And that “pinch of cayenne” the recipe calls for, was more like a handful!
Same goes for this Vegan Chicken Salad. When I first tested the recipe on my own, I believe I added not only cayenne, but also sriracha and pickled jalapeno peppers. Super hot. Good thing Vicky was with me to cool it down a bit when we re-tested it for the blog!
So here’s the “milder” version for you. And if you feel like kicking up the heat a notch, you know what to do 😉
Enjoy!
PrintVegan Chicken Salad
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 1 quart 1x
Ingredients
- 10 oz pack super firm tofu
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 3 tbs flax seeds
- 3 scallions, sliced
- ½ cup almonds ,chopped
- 3 tbsp capers
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp vegan cream cheese alternative, plain or garlic & chive flavored (we use Go Veggie! )
- 3 tbsp vegan sandwich spread (we used Follow your heart Vegenaise)
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp salt (or to taste)
- Pinch of cayenne (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, crumble the tofu with your hands. Add chopped celery, carrots, cilantro, flax seeds, scallions, almonds, capers, turmeric and black pepper. Set aside
- To prepare the dressing, whisk together vegan cream cheese and sandwich spread. Add mustard, rice vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt and cayenne (if using), whisking until all the ingredients are well incorporated
- Pour dressing over tofu mixture, mix well and refrigerate until ready to use
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Kosher / Vegan
Chanie@BusyInBrooklyn says
I'm not a tofu person, yet this recipe really appeals to me!
Ronnie Fein says
Not insane at all. I LOVE fruit with chili peppers and a drop or two of something sweet like balsamic vinegar or pomegranate molasses. I will add chili peppers to this recipe. Some like it hot!
Alison@AliBabka says
looks so good! I would eat this right now 🙂
Melinda (Kitchen Tested) says
WOW! I'll bet people wouldn't even know that there isn't any chicken in there. Besides the capers (I despise capers), this recipe looks incredible.
Yosef - This American Bite says
Have you ever cooked with jackfruit instead of tofu as a meat substitute? My vegan jackfruit BBQ is a treat but the fruit can be used in many different ways.
Vicky & Ruth says
Never tried Jackfruit, we see it all the time at our local asian market. We may have to try it once.
Sarah Klinkowitz says
I'm with Chanie. I'm not a tofu person, but I'd try this!
Vicky & Ruth says
You should try it, maybe you will start to like tofu. I didn't used to like either, but then I learned how to cook with it and give it flavor
Raine pat says
So you do not need to cook the tofu?
Vicky & Ruth says
That's correct, the tofu in this recipe is not cooked. However, if you would prefer, you could saute it in a pan for a few minutes with a little bit of olive oil.
Karla says
Looks beautiful and sounds great--you had me until vegan cream cheese. I'm likely to try it and just omit that. Thanks for the recipe/inspiration/hunger pangs! :).
Vicky & Ruth says
Thanks!!! The cream cheese here basically works as a thickener and helps to make the dressing a bit creamier. The other flavors are so strong you won't even taste it! 🙂
Laura says
I find vegan cream cheese option have gotten better lately. I like the Kite Hill chive cream cheese almost better than the real thing (although I find their plain cream cheese inedible.)
Jessica Moss says
This stuff is the bomb! I make it all the time now and my kids love it.
Matt says
This might just be the best recipe I have ever stumbled upon. Great flavor and was fun to make. I like the idea of added some peppers to spice it up a touch more.
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Matt,
Thank you so much for your feedback. So glad to hear you liked our recipe! 🙂