vegan caesar salad w/ toasted baguette croutons

if there was a salad dressing out there i didn't think i'd be having again, it was a caesar dressing. 

no offense to the many that exist right now, but i am very, very picky as to what my dressing tastes like. so, much to my surprise, i really think i hit upon something here. 

its peppery, rich, creamy texture with a subtle taste of the sea makes for the perfect vegan caesar dressing.

vegan caesar salad

 

serves 4-6

for dressing

1 avocado

1 cup vegan sour cream

½ cup vegan mayo

2 tsp nori

1 tbsp minced red onion

3 cloves smashed garlic (using a garlic press)

2 tbsp vegan worcestershire

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp onion salt

1 tbsp cracked black pepper

¼ cup vegan cream

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

squeeze of 1 lemon

 for croutons               

1 medium baguette

2 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic – minced

salt and pepper to taste

 for topping

3 cashews – shaved

heat your oven to 400 degrees.  slice your baguette into small, bite sized croutons.  toss with the olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper.  lay the pieces onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

remove and set aside.

put your nori into a small bowl with 1 tbsp of warm water…let moisten.  remove and chop into fine pieces.

in a medium mixing bowl combine all of your dressing ingredients, including the nori.  whisk together very well and put into fridge to let cool. 

feel free to adjust the taste to your liking.

on a large serving platter, lay your fresh romaine hearts, dress with the caesar and toss with the croutons, cashew shavings. lemon juice and a dash of salt and pepper to taste.

this makes a great starter or side dish to your favorite pasta.

add grilled tofu for a little “chicken” style caesar!

serve with a glass of cabernet.

enjoy!

Comments

[Yorlli]

I agree with Sharon that this is the salad to eat on a daily basis. We in my family are also obesssed with it. We even have relatives invite us over to make it at their house. I love the idea of the croutons but wonder, could they also be baked after being tossed with olive oil? That might be yummy too. I also like the idea that you don't require that the croutons be made from scratch hash browns, the frozen ones are so convenient!

[Nubia]

Remember on Seinfeld how Elaine always oreerdd a Big Salad at Monks?When I was growing up we had pizza night about once a week (we oreerdd from a place called the El Dorado). I still love most Italian food.When I was in grade school I ate a lot of candy. There was a store near our house and I stopped there almost every day after school to pick up a candy bar or two.The summer before I started high school we moved to a nearby town and there weren't any stores nearby. My candy consumption plummeted dramatically.Do you still have your big collection of restaurant menus, Anna?

[Throatwobbler]

I think you'll be fine. Not sure how you managed to put away a salad built for 4 but all slhuod be well very soon. Headaches subside, that full feeling will as well. I will Google to check on death by Caesar salad but I'm confident it's never happened.It's so awesome that you are learning the whole cooking thing. I'm thinking a huge ADA dinner party slhuod happen in the future. We could have a party to celebrate one of us actually advancing a grade. Or, since the Cougars are kicking ass, an after a huge victory party might be another possibility.My favorite food when I was a kid is still my favorite food to this day. Mostacholli with Italian sausage. I love it and could eat it every day if someone would just let me. If I ever get the chair for something, that is my last meal.Congrats again on the salad success, especially the croutons. I'm sure it will be the first of many domestic successes you will have as you delve deeper into that cook book. As far as I'm concerned, if it's done in the kitchen and it involves food, it's cooking!Mike (yes, donuts are cop food)#boughtandacaesarsaladareagreatcombinationforthebodyandthemind

[Marie]

Wow. I just discovered your blog through vegan.com. Very classy, I like it!

[Rita]

sounds great! I love Caesar salad.

[Trinity]

Thanks for the caesar recipe!