Vegan Kale Caesar with Crispy Chickpeas
There is nothing like a really good garlicky caesar salad with crispy croutons, but what is even better about this kale caesar with crispy chickpeas is that it not only tastes better than your typical caesar salad, it’s so much healthier and nourishing for your body! From the homemade caesar dressing to the crispy chickpeas this vegan kale caesar salad will satisfy you and your caesar salad dreams. Oh and the hemp parm is to die for! This vegan kale caesar with crispy chickpeas has become a weekly staple in my meals and I don’t think that will ever change!
Prepping Your Kale & Chickpeas
I love to cook and create salads with kale because it is so so good for you, it is so nutrients dense and provides your body with so many antioxidants, vitamins and minerals most people don’t consume enough of. A very important step when working with kale for any recipe is to massage it in a little bit of lemon juice, olive oil or avocado oil, and some salt. This is done for a couple of reasons; one to soften to kale to make it easier to digest, and secondly to make the nutrients within the kale more absorbable, and of course the taste is much much better when this step is done! So to begin this salad simply chop your kale & remove the stems, rinse and spin it, and massage it in a little bit of avocado oil, lemon juice and salt. Now set it aside and we will begin prepping the BEST part, the crispy chickpeas!
This is my favourite part of the salad, probably because I just love chickpeas so much, but seriously they make it soooo delicious and they are packed with so much goodness and nutrients too! Salads don’t have to be boring and unsatisfying, it’s all about flavour and what you add to them and I promise with this vegan kale caeser with these crispy chickpeas will not disappoint! Okay so first you will want to drain and rinse your can of chickpeas, toss them in a bowl with some avocado oil and the following spices ( I add a lot of each),
smoked paprika
onion salt
garlic salt
dill
chilli powder
Toss that all together and your chickpeas should be beautifully coated with the seasoning. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, spread your chickpeas out and place in the oven at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes. Now depending on your oven this might take less or more time so make sure to keep an eye on them throughout the cooking time. You want a nice golden crispy colour on them! See doesn’t this vegan kale ceasar with crispy chickpeas sound sooo good already and we haven’t even gotten to the creamy dressing or vegan parmesan!
Creamy Caesar Dressing & Hemp Parmesan
While your chickpeas are cooking we will prep the creamy caesar dressing and vegan parmesan! Now these two things tie the salad all together and really make it so satisfying! These flavours taste so wholesome and fresh and add more deliciousness to this vegan kale caesar! Let’s start with the creamy caesar dressing, it is super easy and quick all you need is the below ingredients and a blender to blend and mix them all together:
tahini
lemon juice
garlic cloves
dijon mustard
capers
nutritional yeast
salt and pepper
Once you have all your measured amounts (see recipe below) simply place all of that in a blender and mix until a smooth & creamy consistency has been created! YUM! It is one of my favourite dressings for sure! And what I love most about making my own dressings is that you get to skip out on the added preservatives, non healthy oils and ingredients that are added to most store bought dressings and dips.
Next for the hemp parmesan, it is just as easy, place all the below ingredients in a blender and blend until combined! This vegan parm tastes so so good you guys, I make this for so many meals and add it to pastas, bowls, and so many salads and it is the perfect topper! In my opinion it is way better than any store bought vegan parm out there, and again eliminates all the unnessocary ingredients your body doesn’t need!
hemp seeds
nutritional yeast
garlic salt
salt
Once the desired amounts have been measured you can place all of this into your blender and blend until it forms a consistency just like a cheese parmesan, you will honestly be shocked by this I promise!
Assembling the Vegan Caesar Salad
Okay now that each component is made and prepped we can assemble this delicious and beautiful vegan caesar with crispy chickpeas! By the time you are done all the steps your chickpeas should be ready to come out, so be sure to check on those! First we will dress the kale with the caesar dressing and again massage it into the kale, it’s totally ok to be rough when massaging the kale as this will make it more flavourful! Once the kale is fully dressed and coated completely you can toss in the chickpeas and sprinkle the hemp parm over top! OKAY YUM i’m definitely making this today… I seriously can’t get enough of it! I like to serve this vegan kale caesar and crispy chickpeas with additional parm and dressing on the side as well in case some people prefer more, so if you would like you can save some of the toppings for extra servings!
It’s sooooo good!
Vegan Kale Caesar With Crispy Chickpeas
Vegan Kale Caesar With Crispy Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 3 bunches of kale (purple or green)
Crispy Chickpeas
- 1 can chickpeas
- ½ tbsp paprika
- ⅓ tbsp dill
- ¼ tbsp chilli powder
- 3 tsp garlic salt
- 3 tsp onion salt
- salt & pepper
Creamy Ceasar Dressing
- ¼ cup tahini
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 3-4 tbsp squeezed lemon
- 1-2 cloves garlic add more if you like
- ½ tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp capers add more if you like
- salt & pepper to taste
Hemp Parmasen (makes for extra)
- ⅓ cup hemp seeds
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ tbsp garlic salt
- 1-2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Begin by chopping your kale, removing the stems and then rinsing and spinning it.
- Massage your prepped kale in some avocado oil or olive oil, lemon juice, and a sprinkle of salt until soft, set aside.
- Drain and rinse your canned chickpeas and place in a bowl with some olive oil, and the spices listed above. Once they are nicely coated in the seasoning, lay them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 450° for about 30 minutes (keep checking- you want them golden brown and crispy).
- While the chickpeas cook, begin placing all the creamy caesar dressing ingredients into a blender and combine until a creamy smooth consistency, set aside.
- Place all the hemp parmesan ingredients into a blender and blend until well mixed. The consistency will be very similar to a typical cheese parmesan.
- Check your chickpeas. Once they are done remove from the oven and let them cool.
- Dress your kale with the creamy caesar dressing and massage this into the kale vigorously. This will give the kale a lot of flavour. Add in the chickpeas and sprinkle the hemp parmesan over top!
