September 15, 2016
Grilled Vegan Caesar Salad
There’s something about Caesar Salads that I just absolutely love.
Especially when the lettuce is grilled.
You get the char from grilling it, but it’s still fresh and cold when you cut into it. Plus, it looks fancy as fuck. Serve these grilled vegan Caesar salads at any dinner party and you’ll be the star of the show.
I’ve been experimenting with Caesar dressing quite a bit lately and I finally came up with something blog worthy.
Instead of just posting a recipe for the dressing, I decided to go all out and give you guys a recipe for the most epic grilled vegan caesar salad.
The dressing is creamy and tangy with the perfect amount of that slight anchovy flavor you get from regular Caesar dressing. The base of the dressing is cashews, so we recommend soaking them 4-6 hours. If you’re in a time crunch, you can soak them in boiling water for about 45 minutes to an hour, which is what I usually do. I’m an impatient little bitch when it comes to food, what can I say.
I used to love my Caesar salads with bacon added to it, so I came up with the best ever vegan bacon recipe.
It’s salty and smoky and flavorful and fatty…just like real bacon, minus the death. HOORAY!
We grilled our lettuce on a cast iron seasoned grill pan because we were out of charcoal. If possible, we recommend using a regular grill to really get that “grill” flavor on the outside of the lettuce leaves.
After you’ve grilled your lettuce and made your dressing and vegan bacon, it’s time to assemble your grilled vegan caesar salads!
Ashlee and I like to add red onions, but feel free to omit or add whatever you’d like.
This recipe would be perfect if you’re hosting any holiday parties or for any gatherings in general. Your omnivore friends will not even be able to tell the difference!
We hope you love our grilled vegan caesar salad recipe as much as we do and as always, please feel free to leave any comments. We would love to hear your feedback.
If you try this recipe, take a picture and tag us on Instagram at Eat_Figs_Not_Pigs. Until next time, guys!!!
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water
- ¼-1/2 cup reserved soaking water
- 2 TBS vegan mayonnaise
- 3 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 2 Heaping TBS vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional flakes
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1 TBS dijon mustard
- 1 nor seaweed sheet, very finely ground (optional)
- 2 tsp capers, rinsed
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 cup boiling water
- ¾ cup textured vegetable protein (TVP)
- 1 "Not Chikn" buillon cube
- 1½ TBS liquid smoke
- 1 TBS soy sauce
- ⅛ tsp Kosher Salt
- 5-8 TBS canola oil
- 3 heads of romaine lettuce, cut in half lengthwise
- Vegan croutons
- Red onion, thinly sliced
- TVP Bacon
- Soak cashews for 4-6 hours or overnight. If time is of the essence, boil 2 cups of water and soak cashews in boiling water for 45 minutes to 1 hour
- In a high speed blender, place all the ingredients except for water and pulse until very smooth with no remnants of cashews
- If dressing is too thick, add ¼ of reserved soaking water and blend again
- Add water until dressing is to the consistency of your liking
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Reserve and set aside
- In a mixing bowl, add dry TVP
- In a small saucepan, heat water and buillon cube until boiling
- Add boiling seasoned water to TVP and let rehydrate for 10-15 minutes
- Once rehydrated, add liquid smoke, soy sauce and salt.
- Mix thoroughly
- In a pan on medium heat, add TVP mixture and simmer until the remaining liquid has cooked out
- Slowly adding 1 tablespoon of oil at a time, continue to mix TVP mixture often
- If mixture becomes dry, add another tablespoon of oil
- Continue to mix until TVP bits become dark brown and crispy, resembling real bacon bits, about 20 minutes or so
- Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and set aside
- Grill romaine lettuce on each side until charred, but still cool on the inside, about 2-3 minutes per side
- Transfer grilled lettuce back into the refrigerator to cool for about 10-15 minutes
- Assemble salads and ENJOY!
