Everybody loves a good Caesar salad. I used to devour them like crazy when I was young . . . until I found out they often had anchovies as an ingredient. The idea of that freaked me out. Funny how you can love something until you understand what it is, and then your preconceptions get in the way. And even when I switched to a plant-based diet, most of the recipes I found used cashews, either in the dressing or the “parmesan” that goes on top, so I’ve been Caesar-less for quite some time.
I know that companies like Follow Your Heart and Daiya are coming out with their own take on the Caesar dressing lately, and they taste really great. But if you can’t find any of those in your grocery store, this recipe, which is much cheaper and contains fewer ingredients, can be made quickly right in your own kitchen.
My version of the Caesar is really simple: the dressing has nine ingredients and only takes a couple of minutes to make. And the salad itself includes five things that are rich in vitamins and nutrients to make this dish not only a win for your tastebuds, but also for your health.
Tell Me What You Think
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this recipe if you make it. So drop me a comment below, and be sure to tag @nutfreevegan on social media if you’re posting photos. Plus, it’s always super fun to see these dishes out in the wild!
Caesar Salad with Nut-Free Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 package Lightlife “Fakin Bacon” tempeh
- 1 cup Follow Your Heart Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 1 Tbsp. water
- 1 bunch kale stemmed, chopped and massaged
- 2 cups grape tomatoes halved lengthwise
- 1 cup chickpeas rinsed (see note below)
- ½ cup Follow Your Heart vegan Parmesan
Instructions
- Cook tempeh according to instructions on package and set aside.
- In a food processor or blender, pulse Vegenaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and water until smooth—about 20 seconds.
- Mix kale and desired amount of dressing in a large bowl. Toss until the kale is coated.
- Add in tomatoes, chickpeas, parmesan and tempeh. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
[…] This dressing couldn’t be simpler to make. Its base is Follow Your Heart’s delicious Vegenaise—I like the Grapeseed Oil version—which goes right into a blender or food processor, followed by the handful of other ingredients. Then you just pulse everything for a few seconds until the creamy, smooth final product appears. All in all this recipe shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes to make. And it goes well with any kind of Caesar salad you want to create (may I recommend this Kale-based one from the Nut-Free Vegan archives?). […]