The Hamptons Vegan

Living the Vegan Lifestyle

salads

For the Love of Tomatoes, Make This Bread Salad!!

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bread salad close up in a glass dish
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Bread Salad, AKA Panzanella, is such a perfect summer staple.

Whether you have an abundance of tomatoes from the garden, an abundance of leftover bread, or an overflowing growth of Italian herbs, this bread salad should always be number one on your list of summertime dishes to easily throw together and make on repeat.

For the love of Tomatoes…

ANY tomatoes will work! So use cherry, grape, beefsteak, plum, or any kind of ripe tomatoes you have- cut them up into bite-sized pieces, and you’re good.

And for the love of Onions…

You can use any onions, too! Whether you choose white, yellow, scallions, or my favorite- red, they all work just fine.

And for the love of Parsley…

So if you have a windowsill plant or a garden full (or you bought too much at the farmer’s market), throw a bunch of chopped parsley into this salad- it’s mandatory (in my humble opinion).

And for the love of Oregano and Basil…

Throw those in too! The herbs blend so well with the tomatoes and…

For the love of old Bread…

It’s a main ingredient here, and it’s in the name! But if you have a nice old rustic loaf, a garlic loaf, a sourdough loaf, or even old hot dog or hamburger buns, they will work! I also use frozen bread that we couldn’t finish. And if your bread is still fresh, just leave it out to dry a bit, or stick the chopped, bite-sized bread in the toaster oven or air fryer to crisp up.

Also, for the love of pantry staples: Oil and Vinegar…

Olive oil is best here. But you could use avocado oil or other oils you prefer as well. And for the vinegar, I always go with red wine vinegar, but I bet balsamic would work well, too!

making bread salad with some ingredients in the background.

So… BREAD SALAD it is!

Because if you have these simple ingredients, you’ve got a delicious Bread Salad waiting to be created. And if you want to add to this perfect salad, that works too! I like cucumbers and vegan feta mixed in sometimes, too. I also think chunks of avocado would be delicious. And how about olives!

It’s a gorgeous, fresh summer salad, and if you’ve never had it, please give it a try!

A big bowl of bread salad (aka panzanella) next to a basil plant with a pool in the background.

And For The Love Of All Summertime Dishes…

Try some of these tried-and-true standbys of our summertime staples for more delicious dishes -without having to turn on the oven, of course!

A creamy bowl of Potato Salad :

vegan potato salad

A tasty tomato pasta dish :

And a Kick-Ass Killer Kale Salad! :

kale salad

And for a lovely summery dessert, make this easy Lemon Curd in the morning, put it in a ready-made graham cracker pie shell, and let it set up in the fridge. It will be ready for the perfect pie ending to a perfect summer day. Vegan whipped cream optional.

vegan lemon curd spoonful
thehamptonsvegan

BREAD SALAD (PANZANELLA)

A LIGHT AND BRIGHT SUMMERTIME SALAD
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Prep Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Appetizer, appetizers, lunch, Salad, Side Dish, summer barbecues
Cuisine: vegan
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4-5 cups Bread cubes: If the bread is not hard or day-old, then crisp lightly in a toaster oven (or oven) on a sheet pan. Spread out so they are not crowded.
  • 2-4 medium to large tomatoes or a carton of cherry tomatoes, chopped to bite-size
  • 1/2 medium cucumber, diced
  • 1/4 – 1/2 large red onion, sliced thin
  • 1/2 cup herbs- parsley, basil, and/or oregano, minced small
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Method
 

  1. Whisk oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl.
  2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
  3. Pour the whisked dressing over the bread, veggies, and herbs in the large bowl. Toss to coat.
  4. Cover and refrigerate to let the flavors blend.
  5. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Notes

  • See post for substitutions and optional add-in ingredients.

Vegan Party Potato Salad is the Best Summer Side

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vegan potato salad
vegan party! potato salad

Vegan Party Potato Salad is a must!

At our Hamptons Vegan barbecues, we always have this vegan party potato salad. Because it’s the best. It’s a must-have item, and if it’s not on the menu for some crazy reason (forgot to pick up potatoes or no pickles), then there is some serious grumbling going on here. And I can’t sneak in macaroni salad without a lot of pushback. Because everybody likes macaroni salad, but they love this.

Party! Potato Salad memories

Our recipe goes way back. It’s been around since before the Hamptons Vegan was in the Hamptons! We’ve made a version of this since the upstate New York days when the family would meet at Nathaniel Cole Park near Binghamton, NY (my hometown ♥) or head over to Otsiningo Park off Front Street and Bevier Street in Binghamton when the kids were little and we were visiting Grandma. There were also picnics with our salad at Chenango Valley State Park and Dorchester Park in Whitney Point, NY.

Then there were the picnics in Virginia Beach, VA in the backyard of our Alanton neighborhood or on the beach near the former Station One hotel.

So now, we have our favorite salad in vegan form, at home in the Hamptons. And we may pack up a cooler and head out to Rogers Beach in Westhampton Beach or trek out to Flying Point in Watermill.

And if we’re visiting our camping friends, then we pack it to go to Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes or Shinnecock Park in Southampton, NY.

Make it for future traditions

So, no matter where you take your party potato salad, you will be happy to have it with you for your eating enjoyment.  Now turn all your picnics into a party with our salad!

vegan potato salad
Vegan Party Potato Salad

Also, pack our Glorious Grilled Veggie Sandwich in your picnic cooler, too!

grilled eggplant, zucchini squash, peppers and onion on a ciabatta
glorious grilled veggie sandwich,
picnic food
vegan party potato salad on a picnic plate with a grilled veggie sandwich and corn

Finally, for dessert, how about our Very Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes with our Better Buttercream Frosting?! Or one of our other go-to picnic desserts: Bangin Banana Cake.

Picture-perfect picnic foods!

better buttercream frosting
very vegan vanilla cupcake with better buttercream frosting
vegan banana cake
Have a bite of banana cake!

© thehamptonsvegan 2017 – 2025. All rights reserved.

vegan potato salad
thehamptonsvegan

Party Potato Salad

Party Potato Salad will be the go-to place for your taste buds this summer. Bursting with homemade flavor, you will not go anywhere else for your potato salad needs.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 57 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: dinner, summer barbecues
Cuisine: vegan
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 6 medium potatoes, cut into about 3/4 inch pieces this is about 3 pounds or 48 ounces
  • 1/2 cup red onions, diced can use other types of onion
  • 1-2 large dill pickles, chopped up into a fine dice
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery optional
  • 1/4 cup grated carrot optional
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup (or more to taste) vegan mayo like Hellman's Vegan Mayo or Veganaise *see notes*
  • 1/3 cup vegan sour cream like Tofutti or Follow Your Heart *see notes*
  • 1-2 tablespoons pickle juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons mustard
  • 1-2 tablespoons sub sauce or Italian dressing optional

Method
 

  1. 1. Chop up your vegetables.
    2. Put potatoes into a good size saucepan and add just enough cold water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil. Cook for approximately 15 minutes. Long enough to soften but not so long that they fall apart.
    3. While potatoes are cooking, mix together in a large bowl, mayo, sour cream, pickles, onions, mustard, pickle juice, pepper, and any of the optional add-ins of your choice like carrots and celery. (Everything but the vinegar and salt.)
    4. When potatoes are soft enough to pierce drain them in a strainer. Toss potatoes with vinegar and salt.
    5. Now, mix potatoes into the rest of the ingredients in your large bowl. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
    6. Serve chilled with a little chopped pickle and chopped red onion to garnish.

Notes

I use Helman’s Vegan Mayo or Veganaise for my vegan mayo and I use Tofutti or Follow Your Heart for my sour cream substitute.

Kick-Ass Killer Kale Salad is a Powerful Green Superhero

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kale salad
Killer Kale Salad!
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Yep, the Kick-Ass Killer Kale Salad is my new favorite salad, and although I’m late to the kale craze, I’m solidly on board now!

Honestly, I could eat this salad every day! And if it weren’t for the protests I know I’d get from The Big Guy, I would think about making this every day. (His tastes haven’t evolved to embrace kale…yet!)

Before Kale Salad- The Iceberg Days

In the beginning, when I was growing up, the only type of salad we ever ate was iceberg lettuce, a wedge of tomato, and maybe a cucumber (with lots of dressing for me).

My apologies to the iceberg lovers (I’m looking at you, my Big Guy!), and I don’t like to play favorites, or call out the losers, but to put it mildly, it is NOT my favorite.

And I’m pretty sure cardboard is more satisfying. Ok, ok, enough said.

So, I didn’t eat many salads back in the day. I surprised a lot of non-vegans when I said I was vegan and that I didn’t like salads all that much! They assumed that was all we ate!

Then came Spinach!

But with spinach added to the salad game, I found a new appreciation for this menu starter.

Then add some red onion, strips of red pepper, and creamy dressing, and I was in love. Finally, I found a green salad I enjoyed eating.

More recently, the Field Greens Salad

Discovering all the many types of edible green leaves has been an exciting improvement.

And adding different ingredients like fruits, nuts, and citrus, which weren’t usually a part of the salad experience, definitely kicked it up more than a notch!

But KALE, Come on! The Kick-Ass Killer Kale Salad is the King!

cutting ribs from kale leaf
Cutting off the ribs from kale leaves
kale salad prep
simple ingredients in the kale salad

No question. The flavor of this Kick-Ass Killer Kale Salad is off the charts, with no other green leaf salads close behind!

Yes, I love it so much, and if you haven’t tried it yet, you must.

Because now I see kale in the grocery store and have to buy it since it’s kinda got me addicted!

That yummy, garlicky, lemony, chewy, spicy goodness satisfies in a big way.

And bonus, if there’s any leftover, (unlike other soggy salads), it’s still delicious (maybe even better), the next day.

So- sorry, Iceberg, Spinach, and various Field Green Salads: there’s a new salad in my town that has taken your place.

I love you the best, Kick-Ass Killer Kale Salad!

(Not Sorry 😉 )

More Recipes with Garlic Love (besides kale salad)

If you love the taste of garlic in a big way (like I do 🙂 ), try our Gratifying Garlic and Oil Pasta- it’s addicting!

kick-ass killer kale salad
Garlic and oil pasta

Or make our Celestial Celeriac Mashed Potatoes (with or without the celeriac- it’s optional). And feel free to up the amount of garlic in this recipe to your garlicky liking!

Kick-ass killer kale salad
Celestial celeriac mashed potatoes

And, if you need an easy but delicious recipe for vegan parmesan when making your Kick-Ass Killer Kale Salad, try The Hamptons Vegan’s Perfect Parmesan Vegan Style recipe! We got you!

vegan parmesan cheese ingredients for the Kick-Ass Killer Kale Salad
Simple ingredients make parmesan cheese magic

© thehamptonsvegan 2017-2025 all rights reserved

kale salad
thehamptonsvegan

Kick-Ass Killer Kale Salad

The best salad ever- that still tastes good the next day!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: appetizers, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: vegan
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 big bunch kale leaves (About 10 ounces)
  • 4-6 cloves garlic, slivered/ thin sliced
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  • 1/3 cup vegan parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • pinch red pepper flakes optional
  • few grinds black pepper

Method
 

  1. 1). Lay kale leaves on a cutting board, folded in half so the rib is on one side, not in middle. Slice off the rib down the length of the leaf. Discard ribs. 2). Cut up leaves into bite-size pieces and add to a large bowl.3). Add all the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and start massaging and squishing everything together with your hands for at least a few minutes. (you can wear disposable food-safe gloves here) 4). Adjust seasonings to your taste and then enjoy! Lasts 3-4 days in the fridge.

Notes

kale salad

Killer Kale Salad!