CAESAR SALAD

I was so blown away by this recipe!!! I got the idea from the amazing youtube channel, "Hot for food" but tweaked the recipe to be my own! I featured Angel Food's parmesan cheese, and I think it really took this vegan delight to another level. I use to love caesar salads before I went vegan, but was put off when I learned how bad they were for you. No worries here! This vegan version is super nourishing with no nasty ingredients. 

The dressing is made from creamy cashews and of course the amazing Angel Food parmesan cheese. I highly highly recommend this. I made this and took it to a christmas party and it was a hit! Enjoy!

Caesar Salad 

Tofu bacon -

Block of tofu ( approx. 250g)

1 1/2 tbsp Maple syrup

1/4 cup Tamari 

1/4 cup Water

2 tsp paprika

1/2 Tbsp liquid smoke 

Crumble tofu into small pieces in a bowl. They don’t have to all be the same size, it is good to have a variation for texture. 

Mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl and add the crumbled tofu. Mix until all the tofu is drenched in the marinade. For the best results you can leave this to marinate in the fridge for an hour but it is not necessary. 

Spread the tofu out on a lined baking tray and bake in 180C oven for 20- 25mins. 

Some of the tofu should be crispy and some should be ‘meaty’. 

Croutons :

2-3 cups bread ( I used french bread)

4 Tbsp olive oil 

Salt and pepper to season 

Cut bread into cubes and toss in the olive oil and salt and pepper. 

Make sure all the bread is covered in some oil. 

Spread bread on lined baking sheet and place in preheated 180C oven for 10-15mins or until crisp and golden. 

Caesar salad Dressing :

1/2 Tbsp crushed garlic

1/2 cup raw cashews ( soaked for 3 hours in cold water or soaked for 25-30mins in boiling water)

1/2 cup water 

1 pitted medjool date

juice of half a lemon 

2 Tbsp Angel Food Parmesan (adds that super cheesy flavour!!!)

1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp dijon mustard 

salt and pepper to taste

Place the cashews (make sure you drain water from soaking) and all the other dressing ingredients in a high speed blender and mix until smooth. 

Salad :

1 head of romain lettuce (large)

 3 Tbsp Capers 

Juice half a lemon 

Chop lettuce into small pieces and place in a bowl. Add caesar dressing and toss lettuce to coat evenly. 

Scatter tofu bacon, capers and croutons on top.  To garnish the salad , squeeze over some lemon juice and sprinkle on some extra Angel Food parmesan. 

You may not use all the caesar dressing, store in the fridge or place on table for those who want even more creaminess.