Vegan Caesar Salad with Grilled Lettuce and Herby Croutons
User Reviews
5
Vegan Caesar Salad with Grilled Lettuce and Herby Croutons
Description
The salad combines quartered little gem lettuces grilled to develop char lines and soften slightly, providing a smoky and tender texture. The dressing is a smooth, creamy blend made by blitzing soaked cashews with water, olive oil, lemon juice, wholegrain mustard, garlic, and capers, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper. This creates a thick, drizzling consistency that mimics traditional Caesar dressing without dairy.
Herby croutons add a crunchy contrast, made by tossing rustic bread pieces with olive oil and mixed herbs, then pan-frying until crisp. Nutritional yeast sprinkled on top offers an optional cheesy flavor boost suitable for vegan diets. The elements come together to form a fresh salad with creamy, crunchy, and smoky components.
This salad is best served fresh to maintain the textures of the lettuce and croutons. It can function as a starter or light main course.
Ingredients
- 50 g cashews raw unsalted, soaked overnight
- 4 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon capers
- 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic crushed
- salt sea salt
- black pepper sea salt
For the herby croutons
- 2 bread slightly stale rustic loaf works best, large slices
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon mixed herbs
To serve
- 2 little gem lettuce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 teaspoon nutritional yeast optional
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in a bowl of water overnight (or for at least 4 hours). Drain and rinse well.
- In a high speed blender, blitz the drained cashews, water, oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic and capers until smooth and creamy. If necessary, add a little more water, sparingly, to make it a thick drizzling consistency. Season with the salt and pepper.
For the herby croutons
- Tear the bread into bite-sized pieces, then toss in a bowl with the olive oil and herbs to coat.
- Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and pan fry the bread pieces until crispy.
To serve:
- Heat a grill pan until hot.
- Meanwhile, slice the little gem lettuces into quarters lengthways. Drizzle with the olive oil and use your hands to coat it thoroughly.
- Place the lettuce quarters onto the hot grill pan and sear to create char lines.
- Divide the lettuces onto plates, drizzle with the dressing and top with the croutons. Sprinkle with the nutritional yeast and enjoy immediately.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 256 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 256kcal | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 13g | 4% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 21g | 32% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Sodium | 118mg | 5% |
| Potassium | 200mg | 4% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 2g | 4% |
| Vitamin A | 1220IU | 24% |
| Vitamin C | 3mg | 3% |
| Calcium | 35mg | 4% |
| Iron | 1.8mg | 10% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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