Vegan Caesar Salad

This vegan caesar salad with sourdough croutons is in heavy rotation for our weeknight dinners. It’s the perfect way to add some leafy greens to your day and can be the main course with the addition of some protein like chickpeas or grilled chicken. The recipe yields enough dressing to make 2-3 family sized salads. We make our dressing on Sunday so we can enjoy the salad all week. Dressing stays fresh in fridge for up to 7 days.

Ingredients

Dressing:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 4 hrs, drained and rinsed

2 lemons, juiced

2 TBS dijion mustard

3 TBS tamari

4 TBS olive oil

4-5 cloves garlic

2 TBS aged balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup filtered water

Croutons:

2 slices sourdough bread, cubed

1 TBS avocado oil

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

Salad:

2 heads romaine, chopped

1 cup baby spinach

1/4 cup chopped red onion

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a high speed blender, blending until completely smooth.

To make croutons, toss sourdough cubes with oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until nice and crispy.

Place salad ingredients in a large bowl and top with dressing and croutons. Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste.