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Did you ever notice how salads at restaurants always look and taste better than the ones you make at home? Or even the bagged ones from the store? I have a confession: I used to be intimidated to make salads at home because I hadn’t ventured into making my own homemade dressing, except for my family’s go-to Caesar salad dressing that we’ve been making for years. Fast forward several years, and I’ve now learned how to concoct some new favorites that I throw into frequent rotation.
I’ll admit, this was my first foray into making a vegan salad dressing that mimics its non-vegan counterpart. So I turned to Google to help me find the base that I could build on. I found several recipes from well-respected bloggers and chefs and made some tweaks to create my own.
After seeing several inspo pics online, I decided to do a roasted chickpea Caesar salad. I rinsed a can of organic garbanzo beans from my favorite food store-Trader Joe’s, dried them off, and spread them out evenly on a baking sheet. Next, I drizzled them with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. I shook them around the tray for even coating and popped them in the oven until they were a golden hue.
Because I had a bag of mixed greens in my fridge, I used that. You can use any greens or lettuce that tickle your fancy-including kale, romaine, spinach, or any other fun blend that you find in stores. I like to chop my lettuce so that it’s easier to pick up on the fork and I’m not trying to negotiate huge pieces getting into my mouth.
While the chickpeas were roasting, I whipped up the dressing. Using my food processor, I combined all of the ingredients and let it run for several minutes until the dressing had a creamy and smooth texture. I tossed the dressing in with the lettuce and the chickpeas and the salad was complete! An optional addition is to shave some fresh Parmesan or Pecorino Romano on top. Adding cheese changes the vegan designation to vegetarian.
Vegan Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup water
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ lemon (juice)
- ½ tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1-2 garlic cloves, depending on your taste
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons capers (with the brine)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.
*Note: traditional Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies; if you’re a pescatarian, you can use that, otherwise there is a vegan option in stores.
Are you a summer salad person or a year-round salad person?
Tamar Blazer is an attorney-turned-twin mom, with a passion for her family, friends, writing, good food, home decor and laughing. When she’s not lamenting on her lack of sleep, you can find her doing one of the too many projects she likes to take on, usually with a twin on either side.
