Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Vegan Caesar Salad with Crispy Tempeh & Crunchy Chickpeas

  • Author: Bakerita | Rachel Conners
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 2 main course salads 1x
  • Category: Main Course, Salad
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Serve this Vegan Caesar Salad with Crispy Tempeh & Crunchy Chickpeas for lunch or dinner – it’s delicious anytime! The crispy marined tempeh is incredibly flavorful and filling and the chickpeas add lots of texture.


Ingredients

Scale

For the dressing (yields enough for 2 salads)

  • ½ to ¾ cup filtered water
  • ⅔ cup raw cashews, soaked for 30 minutes in hot water (optional but recommended if you don’t have a high speed blender)
  • 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, optional, for extra creaminess
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon capers in brine
  • 2 to 3 garlic cloves
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

For the tempeh

  • 1 (8 ounce) package of tempeh, cubed
  • 3 tablespoons tamari or coconut aminos
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or grated
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup

For the salad

  • 1 bunch of lacinato kale, destemmed and chopped
  • 1 head of romaine, chopped
  • ⅓ cup crispy chickpeas
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons vegan parmesan, I like the one by Kelly’s Croutons

Instructions

For the dressing

  1. To see the full dressing recipe, click through to this post.

For the tempeh

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine the cubed tempeh, tamari, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and maple syrup. Cover and place in the refrigerator.
  2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. While the tempeh marinates, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with olive oil or avocado oil.
  3. When the oven is preheated, transfer the tempeh from the bowl to the baking sheet, spreading out the cubes so they don’t touch each other and leaving any liquid behind in the bowl.
  4. Bake the tempeh for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring/flipping once in the middle of cooking time. The tempeh should be dry to the touch and getting slightly browned and crunchy. Cool slightly.

For the salad

  1. While the tempeh is baking, combine the chopped kale and chopped romaine.
  2. Once the tempeh is slightly cooled, add the tempeh and crispy chickpeas to the lettuce. Dress with your desired amount of dressing, and then mix in the vegan parmesan. Serve immediately.
  3. Keep any leftover dressing in a jar and any leftover tempeh in an airtight container.

Notes

Nutritional info is calculated for ½ of the prepared salad, which was made using ½ of the prepared salad dressing. It does not include the vegan parmesan.


Nutrition

  • Calories: 413
  • Sugar: 5
  • Sodium: 1573
  • Fat: 20
  • Carbohydrates: 31
  • Fiber: 9
  • Protein: 27

Keywords: caesar, dressing, meal, salad, tempeh