Vegan Tahini Caesar Salad
Lately, my diet has consisted mainly of vegan chocolate, nut butter and avocado. Not necessarily together, but I somehow manage to incorporate all three food groups into my “meals” in a pretty significant way throughout the day. I’m not sure if this is what Gwyneth Paltrow meant when she and the Goop crew raved about Intuitive Eating, but for what it’s worth: my intuition is pretty convincing that healthy fats are the only food group that matter.
But…since you can’t really serve a big plate of nutty avocado chocolate fudge brownies for lunch with your mah jongg group (DAMN!), sometimes you gotta throw something leafy and green under there just to shake things up. And just when I thought I couldn’t possibly come up with one more salad idea, I managed to pull this rabbit outta my hat. Sure, there’s lettuce. But what really satisfies me is the rich avocado, the crunchy seasoned chickpeas and the unctuously creamy tahini dressing that coats each piece of crispy torn romaine.
Let’s talk a little more about this dressing for a hot sec, which really is the star of the show. Briny capers do the job of the more typically-used anchovies. Preserved lemons bring a satiny smooth yet intensely lemony flavor. Dijon mustard hits you with that necessary tangy zing. And nutty tahini creates a rich and creamy base that marries all the other flavors in perfect harmony. Bravo!! An egg-less, mayo-less, anchovy-less Caesar is born and just may be better than the OG.
And now for dessert: VEGAN CHOCOLATE.
Vegan Tahini Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup drippy tahini
- 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
- ½ of a preserved lemon, seeds removed
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons capers
- 4 teaspoons caper brine (from the jar of capers)
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard (I like using stoneground, too)
- ¼ cup warm water, to thin out dressing to your liking
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Ground black pepper, LOTS!
- 2 small heads of romaine lettuce, gently torn into pieces
- 2 avocados, thinly sliced
- ½ cup Saffron Road Falafel flavored Crunchy Chickpeas, gently smashed
Instructions
- Pulverize everything in the food processor until garlic, capers & preserved lemon are fully blended and dressing is creamy. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Thin out with water as needed.
- Toss lettuce leaves in a large bowl with dressing AS NEEDED and transfer to a serving platter. You should have extra dressing leftover to use for another day. Arrange avocado on top of the lettuce, and sprinkle with the gently smashed crunchy chickpeas before serving.
Equipment:
equipment:
- mini food processor or blender
*preserved lemon should be found in most graocery stores, mine is located in the same aisle as the canned tuna.