Vegan Caesar Salad with Chickpeas and Tofu
Equipment
- baking sheet + parchment paper
- cutting board + knife
- high-speed blender (for dressing)
Ingredients
Roasted chickpeas
- 1 ¼ cup garbanzo beans (chickpeas), no salt added, drained and rinsed*
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic granules
- ¼ teaspoon basil
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
Salad greens
- 4 oz container crispy baby greens (or sub greens of choice)
- 4 cups lacinato/dinosaur kale, chopped (½ a bushel)
- 4 cups shredded green cabbage (½ a bushel)
Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing (no capers)
Salad toppings
- grated vegan parmesan cheese (or sub shreds)
- sliced green olives (optional)
- sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, or pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Prep: Make the salad dressing beforehand to limit prep time, or start by soaking ½ cup of cashews in hot water (full recipe can be found using the link in the recipe). Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Press tofu: place a block of tofu in between two absorbent dish cloths & place something heavy (cast-iron pan or a few cookbooks) on top for 10-15 minutes.
- Make the roasted chickpeas: rinse and drain chickpeas, then dry them very well. Toss in a bowl with oil and all other ingredients listed under roasted chickpeas. Once oven is preheated, place them on the middle rack and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crisp & crunchy.
- Make the base of the salad: wash and dry greens, then chop the kale and crisp greens into bite sized pieces. Shred the cabbage by thinly slicing and then chopping as needed, or use a shredder. Toss together in a large salad bowl.
- Make the crispy tofu: remove tofu from press and prepare the crispy tofu as described here.
- Blend together salad dressing: drain and rinse cashews. Add all ingredients for the dressing into a blender and blend until smooth (full recipe & instructions can be found here).
- Assemble salad: add desired amount of greens to a bowl and drizzle with dressing. Toss and then top with chickpeas, crispy tofu (I cut each strip into 3 or 4 pieces), grated vegan parmesan, seed of choice, and olives if using. Enjoy!
Notes
*dry the chickpeas well to prevent them from popping as they bake in the oven. Drying them well also helps the oil and seasonings coat the chickpeas better.