The secret to this rich and creamy vegan Caesar salad is the seaweed snacks in the dressing, which take the place of the anchovies found in non-veg dressing and add the umami flavour we so covet. This is a hugely popular dish in my household and is adored by my friends of all different eating preferences. Plus, it’s sneakily nutritious, in part because of the kale base.
If you or your guests are not as in love with kale as I am, feel free to switch out some (up to half) for chopped romaine. You can also feel free to forego the chickpea croutons and instead use bread or crispy tofu croutons (which you can make quite easily by frying tofu cubes in the same seasonings listed for the chickpeas below).
Cashew soaking time: 2-4 hours (optional)
Prep/cook time: 45 minutes
Yields approximately six servings
Ingredients:
- 1 big bunch (approximately 12 cups) kale, chopped
- 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds
- 3 tablespoons capers
- 1 cup coconut bacon (check out my recipe here)
- 1 cup chickpea croutons
Chickpea Croutons:
- 1 1/2 cups chickpeas, rinsed
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon oregano, ideally freeze dried (though dried will work as well)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for 2-4 hours
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon (vegan) worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon rock salt
- 1 clove garlic
- 7 seaweed snacks
- 1 tablespoon garlic aioli (optional)
- Additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Soak cashews in water for 2-4 hours. The longer you soak the cashews, the smoother the dressing will be, but if you are in a rush, this step is not necessary. Drain and rinse. Set aside.
- Prepare your coconut bacon.
- Preheat your oven to 355° Fahrenheit. Mix all of the ingredients for the chickpea croutons in a bowl and stir until each chickpea is coated relatively evenly. Pour onto a baking tray, lined with tin foil or parchment paper. Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through. If you’re making the coconut bacon recipe as well, you can cook these two at the same time. Let the chickpeas cool for a while after they are out of the oven. They get a little crispier as they cool.
- Pour all of the ingredients for the dressing in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Wash and dry your kale. Chop the kale, removing the thicker bottom part of the stems, and add to a large mixing bowl. Finely chop the sundried tomatoes and add them to the kale.
- To assemble the remaining ingredients, add the capers, hemp seeds and dressing to the kale and sundried tomato mixture and stir well. Shortly before serving, mix in the cooled chickpea croutons and coconut bacon, saving a bit of bacon to sprinkle on the top of each serving.
- Enjoy!