Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Chickpeas
A healthy yet delicious salad with cavolo nero, crispy air fried chickpeas and a delicious creamy vegan caesar salad dressing made with silken tofu. A salad that feels indulgent but is packed full of nutrients.
Ingredients
- 50 g Cavolo nero
- 1 tbsp Olive oil extra virgin
- 1 can Chickpeas
- 1 tsp Garlic granules
- 1 tsp Paprika powder
- 1 head Romaine lettuce
- 2 Ciabatta rolls
- 50 g Vegan parmesan
- 150 g Silken tofu
- 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp Chickpea water
- 1 Clove of garlic
- 1 tbsp Capers
- 3 tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Firstly drain and pat dry the chickpeas and toss into a big mixing bowl
- Drizzle with oil then add the paprika, garlic granules and a little salt and air fry on 180 for 15 minutes.
- Whilst the chickpeas are cooking get started on the salad. Remove the large stalks from the cavolo nero, roll up and slice in to thin strips.
- Add the strips to a big mixing bowl and drizzle on some olive oil and salt. Now massage the kale with your fingers until tender this should take about 3-5 minutes.
- Now add all of the dressing ingredients to a high speed blender cup and blend until smooth. Please see the ‘tips’ section before making the dressing as you must be careful with the consistency.
- About 5 minutes before the chickpeas are finished cooking make the croutons. Cut up the bread into whatever size chunks you desire and add to the air fryer with the chickpeas for the last 5 minutes.
- Now to assemble the salad chop the romaine lettuce and add to the bowl with the kale, add in the chickpeas, croutons, dressing and some extra parmesan if you wish. Give it all a really good mix and serve up.
Notes
Kale staining - This kale is quite dark and pigmented and can slightly stain wooden chopping boards and your hands so I tend to use gloves to massage the kale to avoid green hands.
Dressing consistency - In the dressing I added some of the aquafaba (chickpea water) to thin the dressing but I would recommend to add a little at a time as to not cause the dressing to come out too thin. Its easier to thin the dressing than thicken it so go easy with adding the right amount. If you do make it too thin add some more silken tofu, failing that you can add oil and blend to emulsify however this is a last resort option.