| HOLIDAY CAESAR SALAD WITH BREADED ALMOND CHICK'N | Grain free, almond and herb crusted tofu over a creamy, oil free, vegan caesar dressing, with chickpea croutons and cranberry plant-based mozza!
Recipe makes 4 large salads
Macros per fully loaded salad:
670 cals - 34g fat - 57g carbs - 34g protein
Macro breakdowns
Macros per serving almond crusted tofu chick'n:
295 cals - 15g fat - 18g carbs - 22g protein
Macros per serving caesar dressing:
122 cals - 10g fat - 4g carbs - 4g protein
Macros per serving chickpea croutons:
128 cals - 4g fat - 17g carbs - 6g protein
Macros per serving dairy free cranberry mozzarella:
77 cals - 5g fat - 8g carbs - 0g protein
Given that the "fully loaded" salad is close to 700 calories (+ tons of fiber, protein, micronutrients, healthy fats, and complex carbs!!) I want to give you the breakdown so you can skip a topping, reduce a topping, or load up on more of a topping, while adjusting to your preferred meal breakdown!
Pro tip: If you're looking to reduce the calories and effort, skipping the chickpea croutons is a simple way to do that.
Ingredients, Almond Crusted Chick'n:
2 x 350g bricks extra firm tofu (700g) - this amount is specifically for shaping the tofu into breasts (as pictured), but you won't actually use 1/3 of each brick! So if you don't care about the shape, you simple need - 465g extra firm tofu for 4 servings.
2 cups vegetable broth (or 2 tsp boullion with 2 cups water)
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp poultry seasoning (or a combo of sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, onion powder, pepper, salt)
Ingredients, Chickpea Croutons:
398 ml can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and dried really well (option to remove skin as well for a crispier chickpea)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
Ingredients, Caesar Dressing:
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp capers with the brine
2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Ingredients, Salad:
6 cups chopped kale
2 cups thinly sliced brussel sprouts
1 brick Violife Cranberry Mozzarella - This is from their cheeseboard collection. You can substitute any vegan cheese of choice.
Recipe, Almond Chick'n:
Preheat the oven to 375 F and line two small baking trays with parchment paper. Set aside.
To slice the tofu bricks into "breasts" slice each one in halve width wise, this should leave you with 4 large rectangles.
Using a sharp knife slice one end of each rectangle into a point. (Save all the tofu discards in a bowl on the side).
Then, as best you can round the other side by slicing gently in a half circle.
This should leave you with 4 "chicken breast" shapes.
Now score each breast - slice 1/3 of the way through with several diagonal cuts from top to bottom. This is called "scoring" which allows for more flavour absorption!
Set the prepared tofu breasts aside.
Bring 2 cups vegetable broth to a low boil and add the tofu breasts, scored side down, into the boiling broth. Place a lid over the pot and reduce to a simmer.
Cook for 3-5 minutes or until tofu has absorbed most of the broth.
Gently remove the tofu and set on a plate to cool.
To a small bowl add: 1/2 cup chickpea flour, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1/4 tsp salt. Whisk together. Add in 1/3 cup water and whisk to combine. Mixture should be thick but pourable. Set aside.
To a blender add: almond crackers and poultry seasoning and pulse until you have a nice bread crumb texture. I like it with a few chunks left, not totally uniform. Pour the crumb mixture onto a plate.
On a clean surface make a station with the almond crumb plate, liquid chickpea flour mixture, steamed tofu breasts, and one of the parchment lined baking sheets.
Using clean hands, grab one tofu breast and dip it into the liquid chickpea flour mixture, coating it on all sides. Then dip it into the almond crumb mixture and coat it on all sides. Then place it on the prepared baking tray and repeat with remaining three tofu breasts.
Place the breaded tofu into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until crispy.
** If you have extra chickpea mix and almond crumb mixture add them to the bowl with the tofu discards and toss well to coat! Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crispy. These are less fancy, but just as tasty to add to sandwiches, bowls or wraps! **
Chickpea Croutons:
Add the chickpeas, olive oil, vinegar, nutritional yeast, paprika, and salt to a bowl and toss well to combine. Spread evenly across a baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crispy and cracking. Set aside to cool completely.
Caesar Dressing:
Add all the caesar dressing ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Dressing will thicken as it sits. If too thick add 1-2 tbsp water at a time until desired consistency.
Salad:
Prep the kale and brussel sprouts. Slice the cheese into thin pieces.
Enjoying right away - Add the kale, brussel sprouts, and dressing to a bowl and toss well. I like to massage it in with clean hands to soften the kale and brussels. Top with almond chick'n, sliced cheese, and chickpea croutons.
Meal prep - Add the dressing to the bottom of four containers then top with kale, brussel sprouts, chickpea croutons, cheese, and almond chick'n. Seal and refrigerate. When ready to eat shake the container really well to mix the dressing through.
Salads will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Love the caesar salad dressing as much as I do?! It's from my Top 100 High Protein Vegan Ebook where you'll find it paired with blackened tofu and hemp seeds for a lighter approach to this classic dish. Find out what Melinda had to say about the ebook...
"Wow! This is the best e-book I've ever purchased! Love the different sections and the layout of each recipe makes it so easy... "
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