Creamy Caesar Salad with Crunchy Croutons
SERVES 4–6
This is a delicious, creamy vegan Caesar salad that will dazzle your friends. We make extra croutons because the kids will devour every last one. (We actually fight over the croutons. True story!) This salad can be made the classic way, or if you want to spruce it up a bit, you can add some hearty kale to the mix. We love to make this on our pizza night; pizza and this Caesar make a perfect pair. If you are cooking for friends, you can cut down on prep time by making the Caesar dressing and the Cashew Parmesan Cheese the day before.
For the Crunchy Croutons
6 slices whole-grain bread, cubed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Sprinkle of garlic powder
Sprinkle of Himalayan pink salt
For the salad
2 small heads of romaine (about 8–10 cups)
For the dressing
½ cup cashews, soaked for 1 hour
¼ cup water
1 garlic clove, peeled
1½ tsp. capers, with juice
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. tamari or Bragg’s liquid aminos
⅛ tsp. Himalayan pink salt
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Pinch of black pepper, to taste
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a medium-size baking sheet with parchment paper.
2 In a medium bowl, toss the cubed bread chunks with the olive oil, garlic powder, and a sprinkle of salt.
3 Spread evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Then flip the croutons over and bake for another 5 minutes. Take out of the oven to cool.
4 While the croutons are baking, place all ingredients for the dressing in a food processor or high-speed blender. Blitz until the dressing is smooth and creamy.
5 Rinse the romaine thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel or dry with a salad spinner. Chop or tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces. Place in a large salad bowl.
6 Pour the dressing on the romaine and toss it until it’s fully coated. Sprinkle Cashew Parmesan Cheese on top, toss on the Crunchy Croutons, and serve.
Sometimes we serve the salad on top of whole-wheat skinny pasta noodles (slightly cooled) or cold soba noodles. Yum-yum.