Vegan Caesar Salad with Tempeh Bacon

LOVE this hearty vegan Caesar salad! Makes an excellent entrée salad. Check out the original recipe on hotforfoodblog.com.

Ingredients

Tempeh Bacon

1 250-g. package tempeh

1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce or tamari

1/2 c. water

1 tbsp. Liquid Smoke

3 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tbsp. smoked paprika

1-2 tbsp. coconut oil, for frying

Garlic Croutons

3 c. cubed bread

1/4 c. olive oil

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tbsp. vegan parmesan

Salads

8 to 9 c. kale, de-stemmed and finely chopped into ribbons

1 tsp. lemon juice

pinch sea salt

1 c. Vegan Caesar Dressing 

ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

For the croutons, whisk together olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, ground black pepper, and vegan parm. Toss the cubed bread in the mixture until well coated. 

Lay out the bread onto a baking sheet and bake for approximately 10 to 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. 

For the tempeh bacon, thinly slice the tempeh into strips approximately 1/8-inch to-1/4-inch thick. 

Whisk together low-sodium soy sauce or tamari, water, Liquid Smoke, maple syrup, and smoked paprika in a shallow dish that you can use to marinate the tempeh in. Lay the slices of tempeh in the dish and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (the longer the better).

To cook, heat a non-stick pan over medium and add 1 tbsp. of coconut oil. Once the pan is hot add the slices of tempeh without overcrowding the pan. You might need to cook in two batches.

Once the first side starts to brown, you’ll want to start de-glazing the pan with a bit of the leftover marinade to prevent the slices from sticking and to get them really caramelized and browned. Flip the slices and do the same thing on the other side. You may need to add another tablespoon of coconut oil at this point. Cook time is approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool while you assemble the Caesar salad.

Wash kale and remove the leaves from the stems and discard those. Finely chop the leaves into ribbons or shreds and place in a large mixing bowl. Put lemon juice and sea salt on the kale and massage it into the leaves lightly with your hands for 2 to 3 minutes until you notice it becoming darker in color and slightly wilting.

Add 1 cup of the Caesar dressing and ground black pepper and toss to coat evenly. Portion out the dressed kale to your serving dishes and top each salad with tempeh bacon, garlic croutons, and drizzle more dressing, as desired. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Sesame Miso Tahini Dressing

Ingredients
1/4 c. tahini
1/4 c. water
1 tbsp. miso
1 tbsp. sugar or agave
1 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1 clove garlic
fresh parsley, as garnish

Directions
Place all ingredients except parsley in high speed blender, and blend until smooth. 

Use as dressing for salad, wraps or veggies. 

Simple Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

2 c. high quality tahini

3/4 c. lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 head of garlic

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. ice water

Directions

Break apart the garlic cloves, putting the cloves into a high powered blender, including paper skins. Add lemon juice and blend for a few minutes until you have a coarse paste. Let sit for 10 minutes so the garlic can mellow a bit. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a large mixing bowl and press the mixture into the sieve until you've extracted as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Add cumin and salt. Whisk in the tahini until smooth; the sauce will lighten in color. Whenever the tahini seizes up or tightens, add ice water bit by bit, whisking energetically until you have a perfectly smooth, creamy, thick sauce.

Makes 2 1/2 cups of tahini sauce to be used as an ingredient in hummus or baba ghanoush. 

1 cup = 724 calories

Vegan Blue "Cheese" Dressing

If I'm honest, this dressing looks more like honey mustard dressing, but it definitely has a blue cheese flavor profile! 

Ingredients

1 c. vegan mayo

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. crushed garlic

2 tbsp. tahini

1 tbsp. white vinegar

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried dill

2 oz. extra firm tofu, crumbled

Directions

Combine all ingredients up until the tofu. Whisk by hand until smooth. Crumble tofu with a fork and then add it in, folding it gently into the dressing. 

Makes about 2 cups.

Recipe credit to lovingitvegan.com. 

Emeril’s Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients
¼ c. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
¾ c. olive oil


Directions
Combine ingredients and blend to emulsify. Change the vinegar to oil ratio as desired to reduce fat and viscosity. 

Buttermilk Dressing

Ingredients
1/2 c. Greek yogurt
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. parsley
2 tsp. fresh chives
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender.

Poppyseed Salad Dressing

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoons mustard (I use Coleman’s)
1 teaspoon table salt or 2 teaspoons Kosher
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup canola or grapeseed oil
1/3 cup apple cider or white wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely grated red onion
1 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds

Directions
Pour the olive and canola oil into a measuring cup and set aside. Add the sugar, mustard, red onion and salt to the jar of a blender (I used the Magic Bullet).  Pour in the vinegar and blend on high until the sugar has thoroughly dissolved. With the motor still running, remove the lid from the blender and pour in the combined oils in a steady stream until emulsified. Pour the dressing into a jar, add the poppy seeds and shake or stir the dressing to combine.  Seal the jar tightly and refrigerate until use. Makes about 2 cups.

Sesame Coconut Vinaigrette

Ingredients
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. coconut balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Directions
Whisk all ingredients together.