With fresh seasonal veggies and a creamy tahini sauce, this is the only veggie salad you’ll need all summer!
Every recipe on the blog so far has been my own creation. But then Rudolph, one of our readers, emailed me one day. The subject line was, “It’s yours to use or publish as you wish”, and the email was simply this recipe – Rudy’s Sunshine Salad.
So I made it. And it was delicious. And the combination of ingredients and flavors that I never would have thought of on my own inspired me to discover even more reader recipes.
And so this week I’m so excited to be featuring YOUR recipes! I put a call out for recipes and you all delivered. Coming up we’ve got coconut veggies from the Philippines and a weeknight pasta from London and stuffed tomatoes from a lake house in Missouri.
But first, we’re kicking it off with the recipe that started it all. Rudy’s Sunshine Salad!
Here’s What You’ll Need
- Limes: We’ll be using both the zest (which adds lime flavor) and the juice (which adds acidity) to bring some power to the salad dressing.
- Salt: Salt will enhance the flavors of the dressing and all the veggies!
- Tahini: Tahini, or sesame seed paste, can have an overpowering flavor on its own (go ahead and lick the spoon, you’ll see!), but it makes a creamy base for the salad dressing and is delightful when mixed up with everything!
- Olive Oil: Aim for a good quality extra virgin olive oil. The flavor will shine through!
- Chickpeas: Honestly, do we even need a reason for chickpeas? You know I love ’em!
- Cucumbers: You can use either seeded or non-seeded (English) cucumbers here.
- Celery: The bright flavors of the celery balance out the tahini dressing and add a hefty dose of crunch!
- Cilantro: And finally, Rudy’s favorite part of the salad (and mine too!) – the fresh cilantro.
How to make this veggie salad
Step 1: Dressing
Grate the zest from one of the limes and add it to a medium bowl, along with the juice from both limes. Whisk in salt, tahini, and olive oil. It should be thick but pourable.
Step 2: Salad
Drain the chickpeas and chop the cucumber, celery, and cilantro. Add it all to a large mixing bowl.
Step 3: Toss
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge.
And that’s how you make Rudy’s Sunshine Salad! It’s equal parts easy, delicious, and perfect for summer. Enjoy!
More Refreshing Summer Eats
From refreshing ingredients to grilled fruit, there’s a reason why these dishes are perfect for summer!
And be sure to try out our other featured Reader Recipes, like Kyaw’s Porcini Pasta, Marika’s Coconut Veggies, and Trish’s Broiled Tomatoes!
Ingredients
- 2 limes
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup tahini 60 g
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 60 mL
- 1 14-oz can chickpeas drained, 400 g
- 2 medium cucumbers cut into bite-sized pieces
- 5 stalks celery diced
- ½ cup cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Dressing: Grate the zest from 1 lime and add it to a medium bowl, along with the juice from both limes. Whisk in salt, tahini, and olive oil.
- Salad: Add drained chickpeas, diced cucumber, diced celery, and chopped cilantro to a large bowl.
- Toss: Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Teri says
This is so good — I love the crunch!
Sue says
Lovely easy to make healthy salad. Added a diced crispy apple which worked well too.
Sarah says
That sounds delicious! 😀
Lea says
Hi Sarah, Rudy’s Sunshine Salad looks absolutely delicious. It is filled with all of my favorites. think this could become one of my go to salads. I’ve pinned this and am looking forward to when I can make it. Thank you for sharing Rudy’s recipe.
Sarah says
So happy you liked it, Lea! 😀
Lois says
My meat eater hubby and I really loved the flavors of this salad. Hardy enough for light dinner. Use bread to get all the delicious dressing! I left out the cilantro because I am not crazy about it. Will made again and again!
Nic says
Holy moly, this was DELISH. Admittedly, I was skeptical cuz I never would have mixed all of these ingredients together, but this recipe used up a bunch of veg from my recent CSA box & I am sooo happy I decided to go for it! I used just 1 super juicy lime, less salt, half of the EVOO, and a mixture of cilantro/parsley. Thanks for posting this, Rudy rocks 🙂
Amanda says
Is there a substitute for the cilantro? I have all other ingredients but that and didn’t want that to hold me up making this it looks so good! 😊
Sarah says
Cilantro is a hard one to sub out, so I’d def recommend trying to get your hands on some for this recipe! For an herby flavor you can use parsley, though the taste will be quite different!
Jenn Harris says
What can I substitute for tahini and chickpeas? I’m out!
Sarah Bond says
Those are both pretty crucial to the recipe! Chickpeas could be replaced with a white bean perhaps? Tahini with maybe almond butter?
Christine Wiedenhoeft says
I really wanted to love this, but it was just too sour for us with the juice of two limes (and zest of one). It seemed like it needed one more ingredient for the sauce to pull it together. I just don’t know what it would have been. I didn’t add the apple as one person mentioned. That may have helped. Everyone else seemed to love it though so it could just be my taste preferences.
Prestine says
Amazing and so easy.
Mimi says
Delish! Thank you for this recipe. I did not have any limes so I used one lemon. I can’t wait to make this again!!
Sarah Bond says
So happy to hear you liked it, Mimi! 😀
Mimi says
Thank you, Rudy, for this recipe! Love it! Can’t wait to make it again.