This recipe is really a three-in-one. It’s a crowd-pleasing Caesar salad recipe, but both the crispy chickpea topper and cashew-parmesan can also stand alone as all-stars in their own right.

This cae-sal has half romaine lettuce, for crunch, and half kale do add a little more heft, fibre, and nutrients. Crispy chickpeas are a crouton stand-in, but these aren’t your boring old oil-roasted chickpeas. Reminiscent of your favourite potato chip, these chickpeas are sour-cream and onion flavoured! My suggestion is to make a double batch and save some for snacking. The cashew parmesan also has multiple functions. Use any leftovers for a cheesy popcorn seasoning, sprinkle on top of other salads, or roasted veggie + grain bowls, would even be good on avocado toast! The dressing here is the real stand out though. This creamy, roasted garlic, vegan caesar dressing of your dreams adds lots of oomph to otherwise boring greens.

Bring this to your next potluck, backyard bbq, or dinner party, and appease the masses.

Vegan Caesar Salad + Sour Cream and Onion Chickpea Croutons

serves 4

1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped

1 head of kale, chopped (I use Dino, but curly kale also works here)

For the Sour Cream and Onion Chickpeas:

1 can of chickpeas, drained, and dried well with a towel

1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp dried dill

2 tsp onion powder

For the Cashew Parmesan:

1/3 cup raw cashews

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp kosher salt

cracked black pepper, to taste

Vegan Caesar Dressing

1. For the Chickpeas: Dry the drained chickpeas with a towel. They need to be very dry otherwise they won’t get crispy! Preheat oven to 400 F. Place chickpeas in a medium-sized bowl and add the melted coconut oil, salt, dried dill, and onion powder, then toss well to combine. Spread the chickpeas evenly onto a parchment-line baking sheet, and roast in the middle rack of the oven for about 35-40 minutes until crispy, tossing occasionally. They will crisp up more as they cool.

2. For the Cashew Parmesan: Add cashews to a blender and process until finely ground. Add nutritional yeast, salt, and a few cracks of black pepper, and process briefly, just until combined.

3. To make the salad: Add the chopped lettuce and kale to a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing, and use your hands to work it in and toss. Add the chickpeas to the salad bowl, and sprinkle about half of the cashew parmesan on top, then toss well. Top the salad with the rest of the cashew parmesan, or serve on the side so people can help themselves.