Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Leafy Green Salad Instructions
- Wash and pat dry thoroughly the romaine and arugula leafy greens, or you can also use a salad spinner.
- Chop the greens into smaller pieces and place them in a large salad bowl.
Chickpea Crouton Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and place the oven rack on the second to lowest shelf in the oven.
- Open and drain the chickpeas, saving the aquafaba for later.NOTE: Aquafaba is the liquid the beans come in when stored in a can. It is a slightly thickened liquid.
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas well. Lay on a clean, dry, towel and pat to dry thoroughly.
- In a small bowl add all of the seasonings, and stir to combine.
- Pour the garbanzo beans into a medium-sized bowl. Add 1-2Tb of the aquafaba and stir gently to combine, ensuring each bean is coated with the aquafaba.
- Pour the seasoning over the garbanzo beans and gently stir to coat every bean.
- Place the chickpeas onto a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for approximately 35-40min. Turn and toss the beans at least once halfway through the cooking process.
- Once cooked and dried out, take the beans out of the oven and allow them to cool on a rack completely before storing them in a container.
Caesar Dressing Instructions
- Drain the cashews that have been soaking in hot water. Pour them into the food processor.
- Add the remaining ingredients - filtered water, lemon juice, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, capers, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.NOTE: This takes a little while - approximately 3-5min. on a medium speed.
Putting It All Together
- Place the leafy greens into a pretty salad bowl.
- Drizzle the desired amount of dressing onto the greens, and toss until thoroughly combined. Make sure you have enough dressing on the greens for the best flavor.
- Add the desired amount of roasted chickpea croutons, and toss one more time gently.
- Add a few grinds of black pepper and addition nutritional yeast if desired.
- ENJOY!
Nutrition
Notes
- If you prefer, you can cook your own garbanzo beans - approximately 2 cups cooked. But for a faster meal, just grab a can of garbanzo beans off the grocery store shelf.
- When making the chickpea croutons, make sure to cook the garbanzo beans for 30-40min. It takes a while for the beans to dry out like croutons. This is usually the first thing I get started with, and then once they are in the oven, I prepare the rest of the salad and dressing.
- Know that you can make the chickpea croutons anytime. They do not have to be right before you make the vegan Caesar Salad. If you have time to make them a day, or even a few days, before - wonderful.
- If you like an exceptional garlicky Caesar dressing, then add another large minced garlic clove. I usually use 1 large, or 2 medium, cloves and that gives this dressing a perfectly garlicky taste but not overpowering. If you like it strong, then feel free to add more.
- I use a vegan Worcestershire sauce.
- If your dressing is too thick, feel free to add a bit more water - 1Tb at a time.
- If your dressing is too thin, give it a minute and keep blending. This dressing gets thicker the longer you blend.
- For storage, keep all of the components separate - leafy greens, croutons, and dressing - otherwise everything gets too soggy when it is stored all together.
- This easy vegan Caesar salad dressing will last in the fridge for up to one week when it is stored in a tightly sealed airtight container.
- I oftentimes double this Caesar dressing recipe and then keep some on hand to whip up a great salad throughout the week.
- This creamy vegan Caesar dressing recipe is also great for a sandwich spread. I use it on fresh sourdough bread and then add hummus and greens. Play with it and let me know how you use this vegan Caesar Dressing.
- Feel free to use a variety of greens for this simple salad. You can make a delicious kale Caesar salad by using baby or curly kale, or any other type of green like Swiss chard, green or red leaf lettuce, and more.