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Salad Samurai: 100 Cutting-Edge, Ultra-Hearty, Easy-to-Make Salads You Don't Have to Be Vegan to Love
Go beyond the pale of iceberg lettuce with recipes for indulgent salads of plant-based proteins, vibrant veggies, and zesty dressings.
240 pages, Paperback
First published June 10, 2014
135 people are currently reading
1880 people want to read
About the author
Terry Hope Romero
17 books85 followersTerry Hope Romero, author and co-author of bestselling vegan cookbooks Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, and Viva Vegan!: Authentic Vegan Latina American Recipes has also presented informative and lively cooking demonstration and talks to hungry crowds at food festivals and conferences the world over, ranging from Paris, New York City, Boston, Toronto, and many more. Terry also contributes to VegNews (leading vegan lifestyle magazine) her Hot Urban Eats column. She also holds a certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell University.
Terry lives, cooks and eats in NYC.
Terry lives, cooks and eats in NYC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
January 20, 2020
Salad Samurai by Terry Hope Romero is a 2014 De Capo publication.
Naturally, when we hear the word ‘Salad’, the first thing many of us think of, is that small ‘dinner salad’ we have on the side or that might serve as an appetizer- which is about as boring as boring can be. Seldom do we think of having a salad as a main course- or refer to a salad as being ‘hearty’.
This cookbook, however, will change your entire perceptions of salads. While these recipes apply to the vegan diet, anyone can find a recipe they will want to try. Not only that, there are fresh ideas for homemade dressings, and plenty of hints and tips as well, and color photos of the recipes.
The salads are organized by seasons, which makes sense to me. Various fresh ingredients are not in season year -round. My moods change with the seasons as well. Summertime has me reaching for more fruits and lighter meals, while in the winter I long for something warmer and a little heavier.
The ease of preparation varies, and the ingredients were not ones I can readily obtain here in Podunk, Texas. However, once can always use these recipes to prompt your own imagination by adding, leaving out, or substituting ingredients that work best for you.
One thing is for sure, though- after reading through this book, you will never think of salads as boring again!!
Naturally, when we hear the word ‘Salad’, the first thing many of us think of, is that small ‘dinner salad’ we have on the side or that might serve as an appetizer- which is about as boring as boring can be. Seldom do we think of having a salad as a main course- or refer to a salad as being ‘hearty’.
This cookbook, however, will change your entire perceptions of salads. While these recipes apply to the vegan diet, anyone can find a recipe they will want to try. Not only that, there are fresh ideas for homemade dressings, and plenty of hints and tips as well, and color photos of the recipes.
The salads are organized by seasons, which makes sense to me. Various fresh ingredients are not in season year -round. My moods change with the seasons as well. Summertime has me reaching for more fruits and lighter meals, while in the winter I long for something warmer and a little heavier.
The ease of preparation varies, and the ingredients were not ones I can readily obtain here in Podunk, Texas. However, once can always use these recipes to prompt your own imagination by adding, leaving out, or substituting ingredients that work best for you.
One thing is for sure, though- after reading through this book, you will never think of salads as boring again!!
July 25, 2016
Doesn’t this book have such a cool name? Salad Samurai. It sounds good. The recipes are quite nice too!
November 26, 2024
Für Anfänger in der veganen Küche eher nicht geeignet.
July 18, 2024
I think this is my favorite cookbook, ever. Not even my favorite vegan cookbook - I ate meat most of my life and am a bit of cookbook hoarder. This one, though, is just unbelievable. So much variety (so much!) Lots of different flavors, often with multiple options to switch up a recipe. And the recipes are all so good! This is the one cookbook I've actually made more than a handful of dishes from. I actually try one each week because I really haven't been disappointed so why stop now! Plus it's vegan. And it's healthy vegan - no weird ingredients, nothing bad-for-you in it. Terry Hope Romero is a genius chef and I will definitely be buying more of her cookbooks.
February 12, 2020
I expected so much more from a cookbook like this one.
First off, maybe I'm being too narrow minded, but oatmeal is not a salad. Oatmeal is oatmeal. Period. Too many liberties were taken in this book as to what a salad actually is.
Second, there were far too many 'exotic' ingredients in this book. Certainly this is not a 'buy everything from one store' kind of book. I'm not about to shop at three different locations to get all the ingredients needed for one salad. And on top of that, there was far too much of the same thing. If you like kale salads, this book is for you. I'm pretty sure there were probably 2-3 leafy green salads in this book that called for any other kind of green (I'm not including the noodle/bean based salads in this statement -- they get their own statement to follow). And speaking of non-leafy green salads -- personally, I would have LOVED to see more bean salads, or noodle salads. And bean salads that were anything other than lentils. My god, I HATE lentils. I don't care how good they are for you, they are nasty.
Thirdly, with all the steps involved in some of these recipes, it would take you half the day to make most of these. Yes, some of the things can be made in advance, but come on... these are SALADS, not 4 course meals. Maybe if you could stay at home all day every day you'd have time to make some of these things, but for the average person? Not. Gonna. Happen.
Fourthly, it's obvious the author has a sweet-tooth when it comes to salads. I don't. I don't like fruit in my salads, or overly sweet dressings. I flagged over half the recipes in this book as something I would never make because of all the sweet shit in them. This is a me thing, but I'm sure I'm not the only one.
And finally, and this is a death knell for cookbooks for me, there were not pictures for all the recipes in the book. I want to see what something looks like before I make it. Even if it's an amateur photo that hasn't been dressed to within an inch of it's life, people eat with their eyes first (and their sense of smell too) before they even lift the fork to their mouth.
Yes, I might make a couple recipes from this book, but it was mostly forgettable, to be honest.
First off, maybe I'm being too narrow minded, but oatmeal is not a salad. Oatmeal is oatmeal. Period. Too many liberties were taken in this book as to what a salad actually is.
Second, there were far too many 'exotic' ingredients in this book. Certainly this is not a 'buy everything from one store' kind of book. I'm not about to shop at three different locations to get all the ingredients needed for one salad. And on top of that, there was far too much of the same thing. If you like kale salads, this book is for you. I'm pretty sure there were probably 2-3 leafy green salads in this book that called for any other kind of green (I'm not including the noodle/bean based salads in this statement -- they get their own statement to follow). And speaking of non-leafy green salads -- personally, I would have LOVED to see more bean salads, or noodle salads. And bean salads that were anything other than lentils. My god, I HATE lentils. I don't care how good they are for you, they are nasty.
Thirdly, with all the steps involved in some of these recipes, it would take you half the day to make most of these. Yes, some of the things can be made in advance, but come on... these are SALADS, not 4 course meals. Maybe if you could stay at home all day every day you'd have time to make some of these things, but for the average person? Not. Gonna. Happen.
Fourthly, it's obvious the author has a sweet-tooth when it comes to salads. I don't. I don't like fruit in my salads, or overly sweet dressings. I flagged over half the recipes in this book as something I would never make because of all the sweet shit in them. This is a me thing, but I'm sure I'm not the only one.
And finally, and this is a death knell for cookbooks for me, there were not pictures for all the recipes in the book. I want to see what something looks like before I make it. Even if it's an amateur photo that hasn't been dressed to within an inch of it's life, people eat with their eyes first (and their sense of smell too) before they even lift the fork to their mouth.
Yes, I might make a couple recipes from this book, but it was mostly forgettable, to be honest.
December 26, 2015
I was skeptical of this cookbook initially - the recipes sometimes call for ingredients that are difficult or expensive to source outside of certain niche (vegan, Brooklyn) enclaves; soaked nut-based dressings are supposed to replace the classic egg-based originals; the textures of the "sweet & savory" section are skin-crawling (e.g. smoothie bowls).
These reservations aside, the organization of the book is faultless (recipes are organized seasonally, and the author walks you through a week of shopping and prep-work in a few short paragraphs), the salads themselves are nutritious, original, filling (most work as entrees or stand-alone meals - satisfying even the biggest appetite), crowd pleasing (they scale well), easy to modify (if you are lacking ingredients or time) and most importantly, delicious.
This book provides both a creative jolt and a handful of new standards to add to your regular repertoire, and proves worthwhile for vegans and omnivores alike.
These reservations aside, the organization of the book is faultless (recipes are organized seasonally, and the author walks you through a week of shopping and prep-work in a few short paragraphs), the salads themselves are nutritious, original, filling (most work as entrees or stand-alone meals - satisfying even the biggest appetite), crowd pleasing (they scale well), easy to modify (if you are lacking ingredients or time) and most importantly, delicious.
This book provides both a creative jolt and a handful of new standards to add to your regular repertoire, and proves worthwhile for vegans and omnivores alike.
March 6, 2016
My first thought on seeing this book was 'I don't need a book about salads'. But a bulletin board discussing this book had many lively discussions on the book, with people posting mouthwatering photos of salads. I grabbed this one from the library and was immediately smitten with it. My biggest hurdle was deciding which one to make first. I can see this book getting a lot of use in my house, especially during the summer months when all I eat is salads. Another great book by Terry Hope Romero.
February 6, 2017
Interesting book, and I'd probably try a couple of the salads.
October 9, 2014
SUPER impressed. who knew that raw cashews soaked in hot water could make a creamy salad dressing?!?
i didn't realize this was a vegan cookbook, but finally. FINALLY. i feel like vegans can actually eat well without only eating food that's made to look like meats, or subsisting on oreos!
#newfoundrespect
#worstbookname
i didn't realize this was a vegan cookbook, but finally. FINALLY. i feel like vegans can actually eat well without only eating food that's made to look like meats, or subsisting on oreos!
#newfoundrespect
#worstbookname
August 25, 2016
LOVE!!! Everything I have made so far has been great. Healthy but so tasty!
August 17, 2014
Probably 4.5 stars - the flavors are unparalleled. Terry is a chef extraordinaire, and like her other books, the recipes are slyly quite involved. Expect to really work to get there.
May 28, 2015
i liked the pictures.
and the ideas.
(or more like, the names : oo! avocado amaranth bhel puri chaat sounds so sexy!)
but then, it actually calls for
bhel puri
and
amaranth
uhhhhh..... ok?
i find those in ... the baking aisle?
but that was an extreme recipe.
out of the how-ever-many recipes, i probably looked at 5 and thought, "okey doke, romero ... i'll do this"
one was pickled grapes
one was lentils
and one was the dressing
(the others were tofu marinades)
now ... perhaps i have a crappy blender
(this is not a perhaps, i do have a crappy 20 buck blender)
but still :: according to romero, the cashew soak method should yield 'creamy dreamy dressing!'
and ... it doesn't?
perhaps i missed a step in the 'one cup hot water, one cup cashews, soak for 30 minutes, blend' method?
the dressing is still tasty
and if you're using it to smother millet or couscous, it doesn't matter much if it's a little chunky
we still ate it
oh and also:
how many freaking kinds of kale can a recipe book call for?
i get it, this is vegan, so ... it's going to be pretty hipster
(what with the agave nectar, liquid smoke, miso, and tamarind in almost every recipe)
but seriously?
curly - lacinato - russian red ?
what about, 'the kale i find in the stop and shop produce section'
here's a request : when recipe books call for specialty produce, leave a little note as to why
what would be the difference in flavor profile if i just use the first carrot i see?
ehh...
whatever.
as far as everything else : if i have time and ... a far amount of money to invest in updating my pantry to the high-class vegan lifestyle, maybe i would be more inclined?
i'd say ... it's worth a flip through.
as i said, they are pretty pictures.
and the ideas.
(or more like, the names : oo! avocado amaranth bhel puri chaat sounds so sexy!)
but then, it actually calls for
bhel puri
and
amaranth
uhhhhh..... ok?
i find those in ... the baking aisle?
but that was an extreme recipe.
out of the how-ever-many recipes, i probably looked at 5 and thought, "okey doke, romero ... i'll do this"
one was pickled grapes
one was lentils
and one was the dressing
(the others were tofu marinades)
now ... perhaps i have a crappy blender
(this is not a perhaps, i do have a crappy 20 buck blender)
but still :: according to romero, the cashew soak method should yield 'creamy dreamy dressing!'
and ... it doesn't?
perhaps i missed a step in the 'one cup hot water, one cup cashews, soak for 30 minutes, blend' method?
the dressing is still tasty
and if you're using it to smother millet or couscous, it doesn't matter much if it's a little chunky
we still ate it
oh and also:
how many freaking kinds of kale can a recipe book call for?
i get it, this is vegan, so ... it's going to be pretty hipster
(what with the agave nectar, liquid smoke, miso, and tamarind in almost every recipe)
but seriously?
curly - lacinato - russian red ?
what about, 'the kale i find in the stop and shop produce section'
here's a request : when recipe books call for specialty produce, leave a little note as to why
what would be the difference in flavor profile if i just use the first carrot i see?
ehh...
whatever.
as far as everything else : if i have time and ... a far amount of money to invest in updating my pantry to the high-class vegan lifestyle, maybe i would be more inclined?
i'd say ... it's worth a flip through.
as i said, they are pretty pictures.
February 10, 2017
I was that weirdo kid who, when asked what my favorite food was, would respond "salad" (well, that or spinach with mayonnaise on top...um). I was also that weirdo teen. Aaaaaaaand I am still that weirdo adult. I really, really love salad and always have.
I'm usually not all that impressed with salad recipes though for some reason. I think so many of them just seem so like, duh, you know? But the ones in this book almost all look really good, and I like that it also includes recipes for different dressings and crunchy toppings, and, interestingly enough, some in the back that are for like...dessert salads? Breakfast salads? I dunno, but I wanna eat 'em!
I'm not generally very deliberate about salads--I'm mostly of the just-throw-a-bunch-of-random-stuff-in-a-bowl-and-eat-it variety--but I am actually really excited about following these recipes. Well done, Terry Hope Romero!
I'm usually not all that impressed with salad recipes though for some reason. I think so many of them just seem so like, duh, you know? But the ones in this book almost all look really good, and I like that it also includes recipes for different dressings and crunchy toppings, and, interestingly enough, some in the back that are for like...dessert salads? Breakfast salads? I dunno, but I wanna eat 'em!
I'm not generally very deliberate about salads--I'm mostly of the just-throw-a-bunch-of-random-stuff-in-a-bowl-and-eat-it variety--but I am actually really excited about following these recipes. Well done, Terry Hope Romero!
May 28, 2017
This cookbook looked very interesting ... I marked a lot of recipes to try. But three salads, one breakfast, and a dressing later, I'm not as excited. They're said to be easy to make, but IMHO, 45 minutes for 2 servings and several sub-recipes isn't an easy meal. And many of the recipes require quite a stretch of the imagination to consider them "salads."
The grain salads ended up feeling like too much of one thing for a meal -- I'd rather have had a half-serving along with something else on my plate. I tried a green salad with chimichurri chickpeas, and much as I love a local restaurant's chimichurri sauce, this version did nothing for me. The one salad my family liked involved a lot of tweaks on my part: cooking Brussels sprouts instead of massaging them raw, adding chicken in place of portobellos, upping the oil in the dressing. Overall I think these recipes would benefit from more oil -- there are plenty of good fats out there, and we certainly aren't going over our calorie limits by eating vegan salads.
The only recipe I found a winner was overnight soaked oats for breakfast, and it's really stretching things to call that a salad.
The grain salads ended up feeling like too much of one thing for a meal -- I'd rather have had a half-serving along with something else on my plate. I tried a green salad with chimichurri chickpeas, and much as I love a local restaurant's chimichurri sauce, this version did nothing for me. The one salad my family liked involved a lot of tweaks on my part: cooking Brussels sprouts instead of massaging them raw, adding chicken in place of portobellos, upping the oil in the dressing. Overall I think these recipes would benefit from more oil -- there are plenty of good fats out there, and we certainly aren't going over our calorie limits by eating vegan salads.
The only recipe I found a winner was overnight soaked oats for breakfast, and it's really stretching things to call that a salad.
February 13, 2018
I originally bought this book my Mother for Christmas. She said she wanted to eat more vegetables, so I thought this would be a great book for that. At the time my Mom was living with my sister while looking for a new home, so my sister ended up flipping through and liking a few recipes. So she bought the book for herself.
Funny thing is for awhile my Mother and my sister would tell me to make a recipe from the book, and I keep pointing out that I don’t own it. I still don’t. I’ve been checking out from the library. I think I was afraid because the book is so small. Did I REALLY need a whole book on salads? Answer- yeah- I really do.
Photos
Not a big fan of the black side bars. Although I LOVE how visually it is different from other cookbooks, it is easy to leave marks on it. I think the biggest issue is the fact that it is a salad cookbook, meaning you are using oil for dressings, and I left quite a few greasy finger prints on the side (right where you touch to turn the page!). And since this is a library book, I could easily see which recipes other patrons made (hello Fiery Fruit and Quinoa Salad!) Naturally my vegan mind is racing- are they vegan? Are they omnivores diving into the vegan world? Did they like it?!
As always I love the photos in the book. They are done by my second favorite food photographer (my main man will always be Ted *insert winkie face*) Vanessa K Rees. I've mentioned it in other reviews, but she has worked with Romero before for Protein Ninja and Moskowitz for Isa Does It. You will recognize her signature style photographing from above. If you want a preview of the sexy photography there are some on her website.
What I do love about the photos is that the images aren’t unrealistic. Nothing bothers me more than inaccurate photos. I’ve caught a few photos in other books where CLEARLY different vegetables are in the dish, or the color is unattainable. What I like about these photos is the dishes are shown as a reasonable end result. The green apples are big chunks for the Reubenesque salad for example. And there notes when they are being fancy, like in the Mermaid salad (no, I sadly didn’t make this) They spiralized the beets instead of julienned them.
Set-up
The book is divided up by the introduction/information, dressings, side salads, salad toppers, spring, summer, fall, winter, and then breakfast ‘salads.’ The last chapter is clearly bending the definition of a salad, and frankly the easiest to ignore. Sorry. But I am glad she divided the recipes up by seasons. Yeah, sure you can make a winter salad in the summer (or vise versa) but if you have a CSA share, you would much rather wait till the summer when the produce is super fresh, knowing it will taste better. This is also why I have tried mostly the winter and fall salads, I keep making salads during this time of the year.
Writing
I feel a little crazy writing this- but Romero’s writing is a little bland in this. Sure there is a lot of wit and spunk in the introduction, but not as much personality in the descriptions. Maybe I am just imagining that? Regardless, I think my favorite part of the book- no diet talk. No talk about gurl you gonna be so thin with this salad talk.
Overview
Vegans have a love hate relationship with salads. So many times we know in the back of our minds that if we go to a restaurant there will “always be a salad option.” A lot times it is sad and pathetic- iceberg lettuce, oil and vinegar, and subpar veggies cut in large chunks. I had a similar issue when living with my in-laws. Although they are great cooks, every single dinner included a side salad with oil and vinegar. I think they genuinely enjoyed this, but I couldn’t help but think of better uses of the lettuce.
Salads have been morphed into the pinnacle of diet culture and clean eating. It has been called out for being an excuse to starve yourself, and for being overrated. Most salads in American culture are either heavy fat-calorie bombs (pasta salad, chicken/tuna/egg salad and the like) or watery-crunchy-vegetable based meals that are so bland you need to drench them in dressings.
But if you ever got a salad from a higher-end restaurant, you will know they are so much more. It is a delicate balance of flavors as you only have a few ingredients, they need to work with each other. There is also the question of quality, if your produce isn’t at it’s peak quality your salad is lacking. And this is what Romero addresses in her book. She wants you to use produce when it is fresh- and that’s why she organizes everything by season. She wants people to eat well thought out, flavorful salads that are more than lettuce, cucumber, and radishes.
Pretty much Romero wants to take salads away from rich white women who are littering their wellness Pinterest boards with expensive fancy looking salads, and trying to democratize them. They are filling, full of flavor, and pretty affordable. Salads, at least in this book, are for everyone. And I love Romero for being able to accomplish that.
Recipes
As with all my cookbook reviews, I try my best to leave links with recipes that are online BUT are up there with the publishers permission. I also won’t link recipes that might stray too far away from the recipe (which some bloggers do) I also made sure I provided at least one recipe from each section of the book. Read the Recipe Reviews on My Blog
Funny thing is for awhile my Mother and my sister would tell me to make a recipe from the book, and I keep pointing out that I don’t own it. I still don’t. I’ve been checking out from the library. I think I was afraid because the book is so small. Did I REALLY need a whole book on salads? Answer- yeah- I really do.
Photos
Not a big fan of the black side bars. Although I LOVE how visually it is different from other cookbooks, it is easy to leave marks on it. I think the biggest issue is the fact that it is a salad cookbook, meaning you are using oil for dressings, and I left quite a few greasy finger prints on the side (right where you touch to turn the page!). And since this is a library book, I could easily see which recipes other patrons made (hello Fiery Fruit and Quinoa Salad!) Naturally my vegan mind is racing- are they vegan? Are they omnivores diving into the vegan world? Did they like it?!
As always I love the photos in the book. They are done by my second favorite food photographer (my main man will always be Ted *insert winkie face*) Vanessa K Rees. I've mentioned it in other reviews, but she has worked with Romero before for Protein Ninja and Moskowitz for Isa Does It. You will recognize her signature style photographing from above. If you want a preview of the sexy photography there are some on her website.
What I do love about the photos is that the images aren’t unrealistic. Nothing bothers me more than inaccurate photos. I’ve caught a few photos in other books where CLEARLY different vegetables are in the dish, or the color is unattainable. What I like about these photos is the dishes are shown as a reasonable end result. The green apples are big chunks for the Reubenesque salad for example. And there notes when they are being fancy, like in the Mermaid salad (no, I sadly didn’t make this) They spiralized the beets instead of julienned them.
Set-up
The book is divided up by the introduction/information, dressings, side salads, salad toppers, spring, summer, fall, winter, and then breakfast ‘salads.’ The last chapter is clearly bending the definition of a salad, and frankly the easiest to ignore. Sorry. But I am glad she divided the recipes up by seasons. Yeah, sure you can make a winter salad in the summer (or vise versa) but if you have a CSA share, you would much rather wait till the summer when the produce is super fresh, knowing it will taste better. This is also why I have tried mostly the winter and fall salads, I keep making salads during this time of the year.
Writing
I feel a little crazy writing this- but Romero’s writing is a little bland in this. Sure there is a lot of wit and spunk in the introduction, but not as much personality in the descriptions. Maybe I am just imagining that? Regardless, I think my favorite part of the book- no diet talk. No talk about gurl you gonna be so thin with this salad talk.
Overview
Vegans have a love hate relationship with salads. So many times we know in the back of our minds that if we go to a restaurant there will “always be a salad option.” A lot times it is sad and pathetic- iceberg lettuce, oil and vinegar, and subpar veggies cut in large chunks. I had a similar issue when living with my in-laws. Although they are great cooks, every single dinner included a side salad with oil and vinegar. I think they genuinely enjoyed this, but I couldn’t help but think of better uses of the lettuce.
Salads have been morphed into the pinnacle of diet culture and clean eating. It has been called out for being an excuse to starve yourself, and for being overrated. Most salads in American culture are either heavy fat-calorie bombs (pasta salad, chicken/tuna/egg salad and the like) or watery-crunchy-vegetable based meals that are so bland you need to drench them in dressings.
But if you ever got a salad from a higher-end restaurant, you will know they are so much more. It is a delicate balance of flavors as you only have a few ingredients, they need to work with each other. There is also the question of quality, if your produce isn’t at it’s peak quality your salad is lacking. And this is what Romero addresses in her book. She wants you to use produce when it is fresh- and that’s why she organizes everything by season. She wants people to eat well thought out, flavorful salads that are more than lettuce, cucumber, and radishes.
Pretty much Romero wants to take salads away from rich white women who are littering their wellness Pinterest boards with expensive fancy looking salads, and trying to democratize them. They are filling, full of flavor, and pretty affordable. Salads, at least in this book, are for everyone. And I love Romero for being able to accomplish that.
Recipes
As with all my cookbook reviews, I try my best to leave links with recipes that are online BUT are up there with the publishers permission. I also won’t link recipes that might stray too far away from the recipe (which some bloggers do) I also made sure I provided at least one recipe from each section of the book. Read the Recipe Reviews on My Blog
May 11, 2015
My top five reasons why this book is fantastically amazing.
1. The insanely, gorgeously delicious photographs throughout the entire book
2. The lovely glossy pages make me feel as if I'm reading a favorite magazine instead of a cookbook
3. The scrumptious salads that look healthy, beautiful, and incredibly tasty
4. The salad dressings, which seem easy to replicate and delicious to devour
5. The breakfast selections. Yes, that's right -- a salad book with incredibly appealing early morning suggestions.
And then, of course, there's my overall top reason why this book is fantastically amazing:
It's totally, 100% vegan... and healthy.
Five stars for my five top reasons that I absolutely MUST have SALAD SAMURAI on my bookshelf ASAP!
1. The insanely, gorgeously delicious photographs throughout the entire book
2. The lovely glossy pages make me feel as if I'm reading a favorite magazine instead of a cookbook
3. The scrumptious salads that look healthy, beautiful, and incredibly tasty
4. The salad dressings, which seem easy to replicate and delicious to devour
5. The breakfast selections. Yes, that's right -- a salad book with incredibly appealing early morning suggestions.
And then, of course, there's my overall top reason why this book is fantastically amazing:
It's totally, 100% vegan... and healthy.
Five stars for my five top reasons that I absolutely MUST have SALAD SAMURAI on my bookshelf ASAP!
June 5, 2015
I've been eating out of this book for weeks, deliciously happy ever since.
June 18, 2017
This vegan cookbook belongs at the same level as Thug Kitchen as far as great, inspiring, delicious, creative, instructive cookbooks go. I'm a true omnivore looking for salad inspiration, and while I will probably use actual pepperoni instead of tofu made to taste like pepperoni, I actually did go out and purchase my first packages of tofu, tempeh, and shirataki noodles. I copied so many of the recipes that I could easily create a recipe section in my personal collection just from this book. If I weren't already sold on many of the recipes, there was a chimichurri chickpeas recipe that made me a very happy girl.
Because I work in a library, I borrowed it and read it cover to cover, then instantly wanted a copy for myself so I could put sticky notes inside with my comments. It's rare these days that I purchase a cookbook because there aren't that many that have enough recipes I like to make it worthwhile, but this is one of the rare cookbooks that will long sit on my kitchen bookshelf.
Because I work in a library, I borrowed it and read it cover to cover, then instantly wanted a copy for myself so I could put sticky notes inside with my comments. It's rare these days that I purchase a cookbook because there aren't that many that have enough recipes I like to make it worthwhile, but this is one of the rare cookbooks that will long sit on my kitchen bookshelf.
January 10, 2021
"But there is always the salad"
Yes, lockdown number I-lost-count-I-don't-know-anything-anymore is clearly affecting me. I'm trying to find something new to cook, to keep my soul from being crushed.
This book was alright. There are a few dressing in particular that I want to try, plus the salads are divided by season, so you can use fresh veggies for each.
It didn't blown me away, but it was somewhat interesting.
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Sì, il lockdown numero ho-perso-il-conto-non-so-più-chi-sono mi sta chiaramente influenzando anche le letture. Sto cercando di trovare qualcosa di nuovo da cucinare, per sconfiggere la noia.
Questo libro era ok. Ci sono alcuni condimenti che voglio provare, e le insalate sono divise per stagione, così si possono usare le verdure tipiche per ognuna.
Non mi ha entusiasmato all'ennesima potenza, ma ci ho trovato qualcosa di interessante che mi sono segnata da provare.
Yes, lockdown number I-lost-count-I-don't-know-anything-anymore is clearly affecting me. I'm trying to find something new to cook, to keep my soul from being crushed.
This book was alright. There are a few dressing in particular that I want to try, plus the salads are divided by season, so you can use fresh veggies for each.
It didn't blown me away, but it was somewhat interesting.
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Sì, il lockdown numero ho-perso-il-conto-non-so-più-chi-sono mi sta chiaramente influenzando anche le letture. Sto cercando di trovare qualcosa di nuovo da cucinare, per sconfiggere la noia.
Questo libro era ok. Ci sono alcuni condimenti che voglio provare, e le insalate sono divise per stagione, così si possono usare le verdure tipiche per ognuna.
Non mi ha entusiasmato all'ennesima potenza, ma ci ho trovato qualcosa di interessante che mi sono segnata da provare.
March 5, 2022
I don’t know why they picked this title. I’d like to know more about the author, Terry Hope Romero, because she knew a lot about a wide variety of ingredients in different cultures’ cuisine — she certainly didn’t focus on Japanese food as the title might imply. In her Salad Nicoise Bento Box the photo clearly has the purple Okinawan sweet potatoes, but then the recipe suggests using fingerling potatoes, even though she mentions other specialized ingredients elsewhere (and you can get some varieties of Japanese potatoes at Whole Foods).
So I think she probably knows a lot about making vegan food taste good, and thankfully there are a lot of pictures in this book, but I think the recipes are probably still too complicated for me to make at this point.
So I think she probably knows a lot about making vegan food taste good, and thankfully there are a lot of pictures in this book, but I think the recipes are probably still too complicated for me to make at this point.
February 8, 2024
I was not expecting much from a book of salads, but I do enjoy the recipes of Terry Hope Romero. I liked the way it was organized, especially with the recipes for dressings and toppings first. I liked how it was broken down by season as well. There were not too many crazy ingredients, most of the ingredients are pantry stables for most vegans. I was never a fan of ranch dressing before becoming vegan, but I am willing to try the cashew based dressing that is the base for many of the dressings in the recipes (and glad to see a "ranch" dressing that does not rely on vegan mayonnaise or vegan sour cream).
August 26, 2020
Purchase Salad Samurai here for just $12!
Life's too short for sad salad! Romero’s veggie-centric book contains so much ingenious variety. Find inspiration with her filling salads and delicious dressings. Lots of different flavours, often with multiple options to switch up a recipe.
Caitlin - The Book Grocer
Life's too short for sad salad! Romero’s veggie-centric book contains so much ingenious variety. Find inspiration with her filling salads and delicious dressings. Lots of different flavours, often with multiple options to switch up a recipe.
Caitlin - The Book Grocer
August 14, 2018
This had a lot of great, fun recipes, including my favorite – the dairy-free ranch dressing. Sadly for me, I don’t eat gluten or soy, so a lot of the recipes were a no go. Also, many were a little too complicated for my taste. However, I got a lot of great ideas. This book was especially helpful for dairy-free solutions. I’m sure this would be excellent for vegans. The cashew-ranch dressing gives the book four stars alone! :-)
January 6, 2019
I am looking forward to making many more of the salads in this book. Keep in mind they are fairly complicated recipes, not that you need to be highly skilled to make them, but that there are many steps and often many ingredients, some which are not easy to find. I love the idea of this book, listed by season, fantastic! Please write more of these books so we can all shop and eat according to the cycle of foods.
March 9, 2018
I didn't find this book super helpful though I love salads. It had recipes that were full of exotic and too many ingredients for my everyday life. If I had the money and time for such it might be different.
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November 21, 2020Some pretty tasty looking recipes in here.
This author has a sweet palate. Nearly every salad has maple syrup, agave or sugar etc added. You can always leave that bit out though I guess. There is even a chapter for totally sweet salads for breakfast.
This author has a sweet palate. Nearly every salad has maple syrup, agave or sugar etc added. You can always leave that bit out though I guess. There is even a chapter for totally sweet salads for breakfast.
August 9, 2021
If you eat a lot of salad you may find yourself growing bored of the same few salads that you make. This book has 100 salads to make and is perfect for summer, when we have lots of fresh vegetables in our gardens and farmers markets.
May 15, 2017
The book looks nice but I didnt keep any recipes to try. Nothing looked good to me. If you want to make your own dressing from cashews then this is your book.
December 26, 2017
Some quite interesting new ideas along with solid instruction for salads I've already made but want my partner to be able to replicate.
September 5, 2020
I enjoyed some of the ideas in here but there's a bit too much fusion (e.g. Polish-Japanese) in here for me.
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