• by Teresa Buyikian , January 3, 2024

One of the first Veganuary promotional dishes has hit the fast-casual world.  (Veganuary is the January trend where people give up meat and all animals products for the entire month.)

Today the Just Salad chain announced its collaboration with James Beard-nominated, Michelin Star-winning chef Amanda Cohen, proprietor of the Dirt Candy restaurant in New York City, in honor of Veganuary.

As part of the chain’s new winter menu, Cohen created the vegan Dirt Candy salad, which contains romaine and arugula greens, organic sesame tofu, cucumber, broccoli, Tajin spiced pumpkin seeds, pepperoncini and Castelvetrano olives. Accompanying the salad is a Creamy Vegan Ranch dressing, containing veganaise, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, white vinegar, salt, parsley and water. The salad and dressing are available in-store, online and in-app nationwide through Jan. 31.

"Embarking on this Veganuary journey with Just Salad is a fusion of culinary passions and a shared food ethos," said Cohen in a release. "Our collaboration stems from a mutual dedication to redefining dining experiences through plant-based innovation and sustainable practices.”

The rest of the chain’s winter menu, available through late March, features five seasonally inspired salads, including the Mediterranean Bowl, with black lentils, kale, arugula, onion, cucumber, chickpeas, pickled onions and yogurt cucumber dressing; and a Maple Crispy Chicken salad with baby spinach, arugula, chicken, white cheddar, almonds, dried cranberries, corn, carrots, and a Maple Cider vinaigrette.

Just Salad has previously successfully collaborated on menu items with other like-minded partners such as wellness educator and entrepreneur, Mona Vand and Baked by Melissa Founder and CEO Melissa Ben-Ishay.