Salty corn chips make a better crunch factor in a Caesar than croutons. Corn chips are crunchier, saltier and don’t cut your mouth like a hard crouton does. And let’s be clear, this version of a Caesar is far from the original version, but it hits on all the same elements. Lots of greens, smoky tempeh as a stand-in for bacon and a creamy Parmesan dressing.
GLUTEN-FREE | EGG-FREE
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1⁄4 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch Cavolo Nero (Tuscan kale)
- 1 head cos lettuce, roughly chopped
- 1 Lebanese cucumber, sliced into thin half moons
- 200 g cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
- 3 cups plain, salted corn chips
For the dressing
- 60 g Parmesan, finely grated
- 1⁄3 aioli or mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1 anchovy in oil, finely chopped
For the smoky tempeh
- 450g tempeh, finely sliced longways
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Make the dressing by adding all ingredients into a small bowl and mixing to combine. Set aside.
- Place tempeh strips into a bowl and sprinkle over paprika, gently toss until coated (but doesn’t matter if it’s not perfectly coated it’s best to not break the tempeh). Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and drizzle in a good glug of olive oil. Add the tempeh strips in batches and cook for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown and crisp.
- To assemble the salad, add the kale into a large bowl. Drizzle in a bit of olive oil and use your hands to massage the kale leaves for 30 seconds until it softens. Add in the cos, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, corn chips and half of the almonds. Drizzle over the dressing and toss with tongs or hands to combine. At this point you want to make sure your salad is well coated in yummy creamy dressing. If you’ve added a lot of lettuce, go ahead and make a second batch of dressing or just another scoop of aioli so you can coat it well. There is NOTHING worse than raw kale with no creamy factor.
- Divide between bowls and top with the smokey tempeh and remaining almonds.
Meg is a recipe developer, food stylist and creative director based in Sydney Australia. She combines her health and nutritional studies with an understanding of global food trends to create engaging and delicious recipes for the everyday Australian. Photography: Luisa Brimble. Styling: Olivia Blackmore.
