Directions for: Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Tempeh Bacon
Ingredients
Caesar Dressing (makes 2 cups)cup raw cashews (soaked for a minimum of 3 hours)
cup water
1 bulb roasted garlic (approx. 7-9 cloves; feel free to do more/less depending on your taste)
1 pitted medjool date
1 lemon, juice and zest
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground pepper
Garlic Croutons3 cups cubed bread (your choice)
cup olive oil
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
tsp sea salt
tsp ground pepper
2 Tbsp go veggie! vegan Parmesan
Tempeh Bacon & Assembly1 package tempeh (approx. 250 g)
cup tamari (can sub. soy sauce or Bragg's aminos)
Tbsp water
cup liquid smoke
cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 - 2 Tbsp coconut oil, for frying
extra water for de-glazing the pan
Directions
Caesar Dressing (makes 2 cups)1. Drain the soaked cashews and rinse with more water until it runs clear. Place all the ingredients in a Vita-mix or high powered blender and mix on high until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving on your salad.
Garlic Croutons1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl whisk together olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and pepper. Toss the cubed bread in the mixture until well coated. If you're adding the vegan Parmesan, then toss them in that next.
2. Lay out the bread onto a baking sheet and bake for approximately 10-15 minutes, turning over once in the middle of baking, until golden brown. Depending on the bread you use the time will vary so just keep an eye on them. Gluten-free bread takes longer, approximately 20 minutes and gluten free bread is always a bit gummy so don't expect them to be crispy crunchy croutons like when they're made with regular bread. Italian baguette is our favourite for this recipe.
Tempeh Bacon & Assembly1. Thinly slice the tempeh.
2. Whisk together all the liquid ingredients and smoked paprika in a shallow dish that you can use to marinate the tempeh in.
3. Lay the slices of tempeh in the dish and pour in half the sauce.
4. Marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
5. To cook, heat a non-stick pan to medium and add 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil. When it's heated, add the slices of tempeh.
6. Once the first side starts to brown you'll want to start de-glazing the pan with left over marinade and a bit of water every so often to prevent them from sticking and to get them really caramelized and browned. Flip the slices and do the same thing on the other side.
7. You might want to use another Tablespoon of coconut oil on the other side to get them frying up nice. You'll start to notice the liquid becoming absorbed and the tempeh getting crispier and stickier. Cook time is approximately 15-20 minutes. Remember, you're trying to caramelize the tempeh - time may vary.
8. Remove from the heat to cool while you assemble the Caesar salad.
9. Assembly: All there's left to do is wash and chop your Romaine lettuce or kale! Garnish your Caesar salad with more black pepper, lemon wedges, and additional go veggie! vegan Parmesan if you like!
See more: Nuts, Salad, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian