vegan caesar salad

Each year I get into obsessions with certain foods. It’s always my way to use up as much produce as possible when it’s fresh. When tomatoes are coming in hot, I’m having daily blts. This spring with all my lettuce I’ve been making caesar salads. Each time I make it, I use the same dressing - but I always mix up the produce and crouton bread. Fresh crouton are so quick and easy to make and like…very underrated. You should definitely start making your own. I’ll tell you about how I prepare each of the components, but please use whatever ratio of dressing, greens, and bread chunks that you like.

DRESSING

This is a very much a condiment based dressing… so please don’t expect anything refined.

• 4 Tbsp vegan mayo or sour cream (or a bit of both)

• 2 Tbsp chopped green olive or capers

• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup

• 1/2 Tbsp mustard

• 1/2 Tbsp liquid aminos or soy sauce

• garlic powder to taste

• TONS of black pepper

Add everything to a bowl and whisk together. I like to add a lot of fresh black pepper to set it off. The olives, lemon, and soy are all pretty intense so I say DO NOT add any salt salt. This is great in salads but you can also use it as a spread on sandwiches.

FRESH STUFF

Any type of lettuce works. I have been using tender white silesian and this red romaine. If you have them, use some fresh herbs or mix in some spinach. Use whatever you have and like, just make sure to wash and dry it well. To add more crunch to sort of wilty lettuce, I’ll soak it in a bowl of water for awhile and then spin dry.

I like to keep my caesar salads to just the 3 ingredients, but this makes a really good background to things like radishes, snap peas, or whever other fresh salad things you like.

CROUTON CROUTON

Okay so this is where I get real wild. It seems like something so silly but I love making croutons out of different types of bread that I have laying around. Sourdough is a classic, but I really love making them out of english muffins, naan, hamburger buns… literally whatever you have. In the time it takes to preheat the oven, your can have them ready to go in. Here’s what you need:

This makes enough for 4 big, dinner-sized salads- I use about 1 serving of bread & 1 tsp of olive oil per person.

• 4 pieces of bread- english muffins, buns, or slices.

• 4 tsp olive oil

• 1-2 garlic cloves or 1 tsp garlic powder

• herbs/spices like oregano, basil, thyme, chili powder (choose whatever you like or skip it)

• salt/pepper

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Chop your bread into bite-sized cubes and add to a bowl. Warm up your oil in a pan and add minced garlic. Cook gently for a few minutes until garlic is fragrant, then add whatever seasonings you like. Toss your bread cubes in the oil and spread out on a lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes. It may take longer depending on the type of bread you use, just give them a check every few minutes. Remove when they are golden brown and crispy.