Knockout Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing With Homemade Croutons

Some days, I love a big salad. I usually just toss it with some olive oil and lemon out of simplicity's sake, but this time around I was craving something with a bit of a bite, and a little more substance. I stumbled across a recipe last week that I tweaked and have managed to have a salad at least once a day since because it's just that good. I'm most certainly a fan of the caesar salad but I've always felt weird about it's ingredients such as raw egg, and mayonnaise - possibly one of my biggest adversaries. I discovered vegan caesar dressing about two years ago at my local co-op, PCC, and have been smitten with it ever since. But, just last week was the first time I took it upon myself to create my own rendition of the recipe that I had come across. It called for all things I was comfortable with, practically favorites - tofu, olive oil, garlic, mustard powder - a heaven-sent dressing! Then, came the capers. Capers always found their way into our pasta dishes growing up (Mom...), so I almost completely disregarded the capers in the recipe, but then decided to just give it a go, and go with the flow. $1.79 later, capers are in hand and we're en route back to the kitchen. A few minutes later, and a couple pulses on the Cuisinart, I was set for a week and a half worth of delicious, vegan, zesty caesar salad dressing just waiting to mix and mingle with my other tasty-salad contributors: homemade croutons, garbanzo beans and sweet peas, all spread over a bed of baby romaine and frisee lettuce. Needless to say (after tasting), I went back for thirds.


Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing

- 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 3/4 cup silken tofu
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 heaping tablespoon capers
- 4 teaspoons caper brine
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- salt to taste

Tools

- Cuisinart or blender

Blend the garlic, tofu, and oil in the food processor or blender until creamy.
Add the lemon juice, capers, caper brine, and mustard powder, and pulse until blended. Adjust the salt and lemon juice to taste.
Put into container and allow dressing to chill in refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes, optimally 1-1 1/2 hours.

Homemade Croutons

- any loaf of bread (I prefer a couple-day-old sourdough baguette, or something like rosemary ciabatta), torn or cut into bite-sized pieces
- olive oil (to taste/cover croutons)
- Cayenne pepper (optional)
- salt & pepper to taste
- freshly grated Parmesan (optional)

Preheat oven to 425* F
In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients and mix with hands until blended well.
Pour mixed croutons onto baking sheet and spread evenly.
Bake in oven until golden brown (10-15 minutes).
Let cool and store in plastic bag or airtight container


This salad is great plain, as a classic caesar with croutons and dressing, but if you're looking for something a little heartier, consider throwing in things like chickpeas/garbanzo beans, grilled tofu or soy beans for an extra fill and a protein boost.