This vegan kale caesar is made with tender kale, crunchy veggies, and smoky tempeh tossed in a creamy, tangy tahini dressing.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Course: Lunch, Salad
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegan
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Smoky Tempeh
8oztempehcut into small cubes
½tspsmoked paprika
½tsponion powder
¼tspgarlic powder
1tspnutritional yeast
½tbsptomato paste or ketchup
3tbspwater
1tbspsoy sauceor tamari for gluten-free
1tbspapple cider vinegar
2tspolive oil
1tspmaple syrup
1tspliquid smokeoptional
Tahini Dressing (make half if you don't want leftover dressing)
5tbsptahini
2tbspwhite wine vinegar
1 ½tbspapple cider vinegar
1garlic cloveminced
1tspmustard
1tspmaple syrup
1 ½tspmiso
¼tspblack pepper
2-4tbspwateror more as needed
Kale Caesar
¼small red onionthinly sliced
½bunchkale
½headromaine lettucechopped, or more kale
1small carrotshredded
1cucumberthinly sliced into half moons
Toppings (Optional)
hemp seeds
nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan cheese
croutons
freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Smoky Tempeh
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Tip: If you have time, you can let the tempeh marinate for 30 minutes or up to a day before. In this case, don't preheat the oven until you're ready to bake the tempeh.
Steam tempeh: Add tempeh cubes to a microwave-safe bowl with 2 tbsp of water. Cover and microwave for 1 minute to steam.
Season: Mix tempeh with remaining ingredients. If you have time, marinate the tempeh for at least 30 minutes.
Bake: Arrange tempeh spaced apart on the lined baking sheet - try not to let the pieces touch. Bake 10 minutes, then flip tempeh and bake another 10 minutes or until crisped on the edges.
Tahini Dressing
Add all dressing ingredients to a jar and shake well to combine. Taste and add more salt/pepper/vinegar if desired. Store in fridge until ready to use.Tip: Dressing will thicken more as it sits, so you may need to add extra water.
Kale Caesar
Prep onions: Add red onion slices to a small bowl. Squeeze juice from half a lemon over and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Toss and set aside to let the onion flavor mellow.
Massage kale: Remove kale stems and tear or chop the leaves. Add to a large mixing bowl and drizzle some of the tahini dressing over. Use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale until kale is dark green and tender (about 2 minutes).
Toss: Add romaine lettuce, carrot, and cucumbers. Drain liquid from the onions and add onions to the salad. Add in the baked tempeh. Drizzle tahini dressing over and toss until well combined. Sprinkle desired toppings on and serve.Tip: Wait to dress the salad until you're ready to serve or the lettuce may wilt. Alternatively, use an entire bunch of kale instead of romaine lettuce, so leftovers will still be crunchy.