Vegetarian Caesar Salad With Salt And Pepper Tofu Croutons Food

VEGAN CAESAR SALAD WITH CRISPY BAKED TOFU

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
• Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes; place in a medium bowl. Add oil, Italian seasoning, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper; toss to combine.
• Arrange tofu cubes in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
• In a blender or food processor, add all ingredients for the dressing. Blend until completely smooth.
• In a large bowl, add lettuce, tomatoes, baked tofu and Caesar dressing; toss to combine.
• Serve immediately. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

VEGETARIAN CAESAR SALAD WITH SALT AND PEPPER TOFU CROUTONS

Steps:

• Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together and set aside. Taste and adjust for seasoning (the more freshly cracked pepper, the better.) Use some plant based milk to thin it out to your taste.
• In a large bowl, combine the cornflour, salt and pepper. Into the bowl, tear the tofu into bite sized crouton style chunks. Tearing it as opposed to cutting it gives it nice craggy edges that become crispy. You can do half torn and half cut if you prefer. Toss with your hands to thoroughly coat.
• Heat a large heavy bottomed pan or skillet with some plain flavoured oil over a medium- high heat(vegetable, canola or peanut are good, except peanut adds nuts to the mix.)
• Once the pan is hot, add the tofu in batches, cooking on all sides and until golden brown. Remove from the pan onto a plate once cooked and repeat until all the tofu is done.
• Depending on the brand you've chosen, you might have some crumbly tofu bits leftover. Cook them at the end - they add delicious little chunks of crunchiness.
• Arrange all the greens on a plate and top with the tofu croutons, any herbs you're using and the dressing. You can toss to coat, if that's your thing. Finish with the soft boiled eggs, sliced in half, some extra slices of Parmesan, extra herbs (optional) a crack of fresh black pepper and some sea salt flakes. Keeps well in the fridge for a few days.

VEGAN CAESAR SALAD WITH CRISP CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. On a medium baking sheet, toss the bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil; season generously with salt and pepper. On a second baking sheet, toss the chickpeas with remaining 2 tablespoons oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Bake both until chickpeas and croutons are browned and crisp, stirring both halfway through, about 10 minutes for the croutons and 20 minutes for the chickpeas. Set aside.
• While the chickpeas and croutons roast, prepare your dressing: To a high-speed blender, add all the dressing ingredients, plus 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 3/4 cup water; blend until completely smooth, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula every now and again. Set dressing aside. (You should have 1 1/2 cups).
• In a large bowl, add the kale and the dressing. Using your hands, massage the kale until slightly softened. Add the lettuce, croutons and half the roasted chickpeas; toss to coat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with additional nutritional yeast. Top with remaining roasted chickpeas; grind black pepper over, and serve immediately.

KALE CAESAR SALAD WITH TOFU CROUTONS & KALAMATA CAESAR DRESSING

Steps:

• Make the tofu croutons. Remove the block of tofu from its packaging and drain the water. Press the tofu by laying a half dozen or so paper towels on a dinner plate and placing the tofu on top. Add a couple more paper towels and top with 4 or 5 more dinner plates. Let sit for 20-30 minutes, checking occasionally to move the plates if they're off balance. Or, much easier, use a tofu press!
• Set the tofu on a cutting board and cut it into crouton-size pieces, about 3/4-inch big.
• Heat the grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. On a large plate or in a shallow baking dish, combine the corn starch, garlic powder, and salt with a fork. Working in batches, dredge the tofu in the corn starch mixture, turning to coat evenly. Carefully add tofu to hot oil in skillet. Cook on medium-high for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally to brown most sides. Remove tofu from pan and place on several paper towels, blotting to remove excess oil.
• Make the dressing. To a food processor or high-power blender, add the olives, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, vinegar, Worchestershire sauce, and pepper. Pulse until smooth, about 30 seconds. Drizzle in the olive oil and blend until smooth and creamy, about 15-20 seconds more.
• Prepare the salad. Add the kale to a large bowl and drizzle the dressing over the top. Toss well to coat all of the leaves. Top with the tofu croutons and a few shavings of Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve with additional lemon wedges to squeeze over the top.