Brown Girl Vegan

Category: Salad

  • Vegan Caesar Salad with Roasted Chickpeas

    Vegan Caesar Salad with Roasted Chickpeas

    This vegan caesar salad with crunchy lettuce and kale, sourdough croutons, crispy spiced chickpeas is topped with a creamy Caesar dressing and an extra delish breaded tofu cutlet.

    Traditional Caesar dressing often tastes ‘fishy’ and ‘cheesy’ and this vegan version comes pretty close! This dressing is so delicious that it will leave you wanting for more – I honestly prefer this version to any store bought ones!

    To add dimension to the actual Caesar salad, we’re experimenting with using different lettuce types contrary to romaine lettuce that is usually used. In this recipe, I’ve used a blend of green leaf lettuce and tuscan kale.

    This salad is nothing without a crunch so don’t hesitate to go overboard with it – I’ve topped the salad with crispy spiced chickpeas, toasted sourdough croutons, leftover toasted breadcrumbs and lastly, a pan fried tofu cutlet that tastes absolutely delightful.

    For the detailed recipe on how to make the dressing, see my 5-Minute Vegan Caesar Dressing.

    Can I make this gluten free?

    You can easily make this gluten free by omitting the croutons and using gluten free breadcrumbs – ground unseasoned corn flakes are a great gluten free option to add that crisp!

    Print Recipe

    Vegan Caesar Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

    This vegan caesar salad with crunchy lettuce and kale, sourdough croutons, crispy spiced chickpeas is topped with a creamy Caesar dressing and an extra delish breaded tofu cutlet.
    Prep Time30 minutes
    Cook Time30 minutes
    Total Time1 hour
    Course: Main Course, Salad
    Cuisine: Italian, Western
    Keyword: salad, salad recipes
    Servings: 2

    Ingredients

    Salad

    • 2 cups chopped green leaf lettuce
    • 2 cups chopped tuscan kale
    • vegan caesar salad dressing

    Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

    • 1 can chickpeas
    • 1 tsp onion powder
    • 1 tsp garlic powder
    • 2 tsp smoked paprika
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric
    • 1/4 tsp black pepper
    • 1 tsp italian seasoning (optional)
    • salt
    • 1 tbsp olive oil

    Breaded Tofu Cutlet

    • 1 block extra firm tofu
    • 1/3 cup plant milk
    • 1 tsp lemon juice
    • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
    • 3 tbsp seasoning of choice
    • 3 tbsp corn starch

    Toasted sourdough crutons

    • 1 slice sourdough bread
    • olive oil

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 200C.
    • Drain and rinse your chickpeas from the can. Add them onto a baking tray, add your seasonings and coat the chickpeas evenly.
    • Bake chickpeas for about 15-17 minutes until they are crispy, tossing them halfway.
    • Mix your plant milk with lemon juice and keep aside. Mix 3 tbsp corn starch with 1 tbsp seasoning. Mix breadcrumbs with 2 tbsp seasoning.
    • Press your tofu to get rid of the excess water. Slice them horizontally across to get 2 cutlet squares.
    • Dip your tofu cutlet in the corn starch, plant milk and lastly coat them in the breadcrumbs.
    • Heat a pan with some olive oil. Pan fry these cutlets until crispy. You can also air fry them until crispy. Once done, cut hem into 4-5 slices.
    • With the remaining oil, slice up some leftover bread or sourdough. Fry them until they are crispy.
    • If there are any leftover breadcrumbs at this point, bake them for 5 minutes until they get toasted.
    • Wash the lettuce and kale before patting dry. Chop them and keep them aside.
    • Make your vegan Caesar dressing (I've linked it in my blog above)
    • Assemble time! Add you lettuce to a bowl, followed by the croutons, chickpeas and some breadcrumbs. Drizzle the Caesar dressing.
    • Give it a good toss. Add some more breadcrumbs and top with the breaded tofu cutlet! Serve immediately.
  • 5-Minute Vegan Caesar Dressing

    5-Minute Vegan Caesar Dressing

    Stop buying that Caesar dressing in a bottle – instead, make my easy vegan, gluten free & healthy creamy dressing and you won’t regret it!

    Make the best Caesar Salad with this dressing!

    While it may tempting to grab one of those Caesar dressing bottles when you are perusing your grocery store, stop yourself and think if you can easily recreate it at home. It definitely makes it easier if you have some of the ingredients on hand but even if you don’t, you can make this healthy dressing at home without the nasties. And the best part? It tastes just like the real deal.

    This creamy version of my Caesar dressing goes perfectly on Caesar salad but you can also have it as a dip for a crunchy vegetable platters. That’s how versatile it tastes! At the same time, there’s a distinct flavour that aims to mimic traditional Caesar dressing that is made with anchovies, mayonnaise and sometimes even cheese!

    The only part of making this dressing that may take a little longer is soaking the cashews. However, if you can be impatient like I am, I just boil my cashews for 5 minutes and leave it in the hot water as I’m preparing the rest of my ingredients.

    This dressing is also completely vegan and can be made gluten free!

    Print Recipe

    5-Minute Vegan Caesar Dressing

    Stop buying that Caesar dressing in a bottle – instead, make my easy vegan, gluten free & healthy creamy dressing and you won't regret it!
    Prep Time10 minutes
    Cook Time5 minutes
    Total Time15 minutes
    Course: Sauce
    Cuisine: Fusion, Italian, Western
    Keyword: dip, salad, sauce
    Servings: 5

    Ingredients

    • 3/4 cup cashews
    • Handful nori flakes
    • 1 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tsp garlic powder
    • 1 tsp dijon mustard
    • 1 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce (make sure it's gluten free)
    • 2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
    • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground

    Instructions

    • Soak cashews overnight or boil for them 5 minutes and let them soak for about 10 minutes.
    • Add all the ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth.

    Notes

    1. You can keep the Caesar dressing in the fridge for about 4 days to a week. 
    2. Substitue worcestershire sauce if not gluten free, with gluten free soy sauce or tamari. 
  • Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Lemongrass Tofu

    Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Lemongrass Tofu

    This Vietnamese Noodle Salad is made with thin vermicelli rice noodles, crunchy vegetables and fresh herbs, tossed in a refreshing chili lime dressing!

    These noodles are the most refreshing summer staple!

    This Vietnamese Noodle Salad is light, tangy and refreshing, making it the perfect summer salad. The fresh crunchy vegetables paired with cold noodles and crispy fried tofu is delectable. This is often eaten as the main course but if you want to prepare it for sharing, do this – chop the tofu into tiny cubes and shred any vegetables you’re using before tossing them together.

    Extra firm tofu sliced into squares

    This salad is best when served at room temperature (we don’t want the tofu to be cold!). If you plan on reheating this, simply heat up the tofu separately but the salad can be eaten cold.

    What You Need to Make This

    • thin rice vermicelli noodles – this can easily be prepared by soaking in hot water for a few minutes. Read the package instructions for the exact steps.
    • vegetables – cucumber, carrot are the best! Daikon works too.
    • garnish – chili, lime, dry roasted peanuts.
    • a good dressing – my chili lime dressing will literally blow your mind!
    • protein – we’ll be making a spicy lemongrass tofu for this salad.

    This recipe heavily uses Vietnamese Sate Sauce that you can find how to make here.

    It can also be easily made gluten free by substituting your soy sauce with gluten free soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos.

    Print Recipe

    Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Lemongrass Tofu

    This Vietnamese Noodle Salad is made with thin vermicelli rice noodles, crunchy vegetables and fresh herbs, tossed in a refreshing chili lime dressing!
    Prep Time10 minutes
    Cook Time10 minutes
    Total Time20 minutes
    Course: Main Course, Salad
    Cuisine: Fusion, Vietnamese
    Keyword: noodle salad, salad
    Servings: 2

    Ingredients

    Chili Lime Dressing

    • 2 tbsp lime juice
    • 2 tbsp vegan fish sauce
    • 1 tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 tsp sweetener
    • 3 tsp sate sauce (link for the recipe above)
    • 1 tsp sesame oil

    Spicy Lemongrass Tofu

    • 350 g extra firm tofu
    • 1/4 cup corn starch
    • 2 tbsp sate
    • 1/2 tbsp soy sauce (to taste)
    • 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
    • 1/2 tsp sweetener

    Noodle Salad

    • 2 servings rice vermicelli noodles
    • cucumber roll ups
    • shredded carrots
    • 2 tbsp dry roasted peanuts
    • lime garnish
    • chili garnish
    • coriander garnish

    Instructions

    • Chop tofu into even squares and coat them in corn starch.
    • Panfry them in some olive oil or bake/air fry until crispy.
    • Pour sate sauce and soy sauce onto pan and add in your crispy fried tofu. Give them a good toss until evenly coated.
    • Mix all the ingredients for your chili lime dressing and give them a good mix.
    • Slice your cucumber down until you get long, thin strips. Then roll them up. Do the same for your carrots.
    • Boil your noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
    • It's time to assemble! Place your rice noodle in a bowl, followed by cucumber rollups and shredded carrot. Place 3-4 slices of lemongrass tofu.
    • Garnish with lime, coriander, dry roasted peanuts and chili padi. When ready to eat, drizzle with chili lime dressing and serve!