Caesar salad was easily my favourite! It was fun, easy to make and paired well with so many things. i used to love it with grilled chicken but Since going plant-based, I haven’t had a Caesar salad! and i wasn’t too sure if anything could match the tradition anchovey-egg dressing. But not to worry… i think i’ve found something just as tasty: a dressing that uses cashews as a creamy base, flavoursome smokey coconut crisps and crunchy garlic herb croutons.
cashew nuts are a great alternative for dairy in recipes. Soak them in water overnight, rinse and then blend in a high-speed blender with some water and you have a plant-based cream. Use it as a base for creamy dressings, in curries, or even desserts. It’s very important that you use a high-speed blender like a ninja blender, nutribullet or a vitamix (if you’re fancy). This is also applicable to many other nuts and seeds. Follow this recipe to make your own nut milks!
add all the ingredients, except the lettuce and water, to a high speed blender. blend with 1/4 cup water for 2-3mins. gradually add more water, depending on how thick or thin you like your dressing. set aside.
cut romaine lettuce and transfer to mixing bowl. add the dressing bit by bit until all the leaves are fully coated. Serve immediately.
GARLIC HERB CROUTONS
ingredients
2 bread rolls
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp onion granules
1 garlic clove, grated
Method
preheat oven to 180C (FAN). Cut the bread rolls into inch-sized cubes. in a mixing bowl, add the chopped bread, alng with the remaining ingredients. make sure bread cubes are evenly coated. transfer to a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Bake for 10 mins.
SMOKEY COCONUT CRISPS
ingredients
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tbsp liquid aminos
1 tsp olive oil
method
preheat oven to 165C (fan). add all ingredients to a mixing bowl. stir until the coconut flakes are evenly coated. transfer to a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. bake for 5 mins, then flip it all around and bake for a further 5 mins, until browned. leave to cool for 10 mins before adding to salad.
