Feast on this vegan Caesar salad recipe and forget that you’re filling up on greens. It’s that delicious!

It’s hard enough to get your family (and yourself) to eat enough greens, so why go the extra healthy mile by compromising on the most delicious part, aka the dressing? This recipe for a vegan Caesar salad doesn’t cut corners in the name of health – it magnifies them in the name of flavor. The modifications just happen to be healthier.

In a regular Caesar salad, there are Parmesan cheese and croutons atop romaine lettuce, which is then dressed with an egg, oil, and anchovy mixture — the traditional Caesar salad dressing. Often, chicken is part of the mix (fyi: this recipe doesn’t try to replace the chicken – it just nixes it altogether).

If you’re using a store-bought creamy Caesar salad dressing, the ingredients list is a lot more suspect, with add-ins such as soy, sugar, sodium lactate, phosphoric acid, whey, and preservatives.

The truth is, you don’t need dairy to accomplish a creamy texture and thick, filling dressing consistency. In fact, you only need some tried-and-true plant-based ingredients to get the job done. As for the other Caesar salad features, consider those open for variation.

Vegan Caesar Salad Recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 heads romaine lettuce, rinsed, dried, and chopped
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons ground almonds
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• Optional: Gluten-free croutons
• Optional: Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds

Directions

In a blender, add the mustard, nutritional yeast, ground almonds, garlic cloves, water, lemon juice, soy sauce, and olive oil. Blend until smooth. Season the mixture with salt, pepper, and white pepper and blend for another few seconds.

In a large bowl, add the chopped romaine lettuce and drizzle it with the Caesar salad dressing. Add in the croutons and Daiya mozzarella cheese shreds. Use tongs to toss and fold the salad together so that all of the romaine leaves are evenly coated with the dressing.

Serve and enjoy!

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Kale is now a vegetable superstar. It appears in soups, salads, smoothies, on tasting menus and in sushi. Kale is best enjoyed in its pure form: raw and leafy. In this no-cook kale salad, the leaves are cut into thin ribbons and coating in a velvet sesame soy dressing that elevates the earthy vegetable to new heights.

Now that kale is so popular, farmers are planting larger crops many different varieties so that we might enjoy the exotic purple leaves of Russian kale or the sophisticated bitterness of Tuscan kale. This recipe calls for the Tuscan or Lacinato kale, a varietal which has a long history in Italian cuisine. There’s even a type of kale called “Hungry Gap,” named after the mild in-between seasons in the British climate between spring and winter. Kale is related to cabbage and has similar growing patterns.

Tuscan kale is perfectly delicious on its own. I often use thinly-sliced ribbons as a bed for stews and heavy curries instead of rice or pasta. This salad requires absolutely no cooking, just slicing and whisking. This is a great salad to bring on the go because the chopped leaves will not wilt and the dressing can be made in advance.

Kale is amazing in soups and salads and especially good when roasted into kale chips.

Amazing Asian No-Cook Kale Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing 

Serves 4 as a side 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon miso paste
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon warm water
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1 bunch Lacinato or Tuscan Kale

Directions

First wash and dry the kale stalks. Remove the thick center ribs by running a small sharp knife along each side of the rib. Discard and slice remaining leaves into thin ribbons.

In a small bowl whisk the miso paste, warm water and rice vinegar together. Add the sesame oil, garlic and soy sauce and whisk. Taste the sauce and add more soy sauce if you want.

Toss with the kale ribbons and serve.

Related on Organic Authority

Kale Pesto Recipe 

Kale and Hazelnut Quinoa Cakes 

Stuffed Kale Recipe with Bulgur Rice 

Photos by Ally-Jane Grossan

The post Amazing Asian No-Cook Kale Salad Recipe with Sesame Soy Dressing appeared first on EcoSalon.

Do you LOVE the little salad that comes with your restaurant sushi meal with that delicious carrot ginger dressing? It’s all at once salty and sweet and makes even the pile of not-so-fresh iceberg lettuce seem appealing. Chances are, the carrot ginger dressing you love is from a bottle and likely has a lot of sodium and sugar. Luckily, there’s no need to add a lot of the bad stuff to this homemade version because so much natural flavor comes from fresh ginger and carrots.

This salad is perfect as a work lunch alongside a protein like grilled chicken or tofu. Chop your salad greens on Sunday night and store in a large tupperware with a jar of the dressing in the fridge for up to seven days. This combination calls for cabbage, lettuce, bean sprouts and mint leaves for a Southeast Asian feel, but you can also use butter lettuce on its own for that true Japanese restaurant feel. Try your own combination with kale, bok choy, pea shoots or spinach.

The secret to that rich flavor of carrot ginger dressing is miso paste, which you can find in most markets these days. Look for the brand Eden Foods, which uses organic soy beans and less salt than other imported brands from Japan. You can absolutely leave out the miso, the dressing will have a delicious, bright and pungent flavor without it. Try the dressing first without miso and perhaps add it in if you want to serve this salad for your family.

Super Healthy Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing

Serves  4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
¼ cup sesame oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chopped ginger (from a small 1-inch piece)
1 shallot, chopped or 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1 tablespoon miso paste (optional)
2 cups shredded cabbage (red or green)
1 cup shredded lettuce
½ cup bean sprouts
½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves

Directions

Combine chopped carrots, ginger, shallot and miso paste (if using) in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely ground, then add the rice vinegar and sesame oil with a pinch of salt. Grind until you achieve a slightly chunky liquid dressing.

Add the chopped cabbage, lettuce, bean sprouts and mint leaves to a large bowl and toss with the dressing to combine.

Related on Eco Salon

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Red Cabbage and Carrot Citrus Salad 

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Photos by Ally-Jane Grossan 

The post Super Healthy Salad Recipe with Carrot Ginger Dressing appeared first on EcoSalon.

Taking an odd ingredient and finding even more unusual uses for it.

It’s not so much that the following uses are particularly unusual, but rather that nutritional yeast itself is an odd ingredient. It’s gaining popularity among foodies for its cheesy taste and nutritional benefits, but it still has a way to go in terms of becoming the pantry staple it’s meant to be. Nutritional yeast (nooch) is one of the only non-animal sources of vitamin B-12. It only takes 1/2-1 tbsp of nutritional yeast to get the daily requirement for B-12. Nutritional yeast is also an excellent source of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, chromium, selenium, and other minerals as well as 18 amino acids, protein, folic acid, biotin, and other vitamins.

And don’t worry about the yeast fermenting in your gut. It’s deactivated, so it will not give you the bloat. This is what distinguishes it from Brewer’s Yeast, which has not been deactivated.

Pop Corn

As if popcorn couldn’t get any more addicting, nooch had to get involved. Sprinkle the powder along with a drizzle olive oil and a dash of sea salt onto popcorn just popped for a cheesy touch. Add other spices, such as garlic powder, dried thyme or dried rosemary for an even more gourmet experience.

Pizza

Skip cheese and sprinkle a light layer of nutritional yeast onto pizza just after it leaves the oven. Cheese is hard to digest, especially when cooked, but that doesn’t mean you have to cede the taste completely. If you top a pizza with diverse textures and flavors, such as a robust marinara sauce, roasted vegetables and nutritional yeast, the cheese component is unnecessary.

Vegan Cheese Sauce

The food blog world is bursting with vegan “cheese” recipes – some simple, some elaborate – with nutritional yeast as the key ingredient. Check out Angela’s Low-Fat Vegan Cheeze Sauce on her blog Oh She Glows for a 5-ingredient approach. Head over to Epicurian Vegan for a heartier vegan cheese sauce that gets some extra bulk from cashews.

Bread Crumbs

Replace bread crumbs with nutritional yeast in any mixture requiring holding power. This cuts down on the carbs and adds an extra bite. Try using nutritional yeast to hold together veggie burgers or any other patty that would normally require bread crumbs.

Kale Chips

There’s nothing wrong with the standard kale chip recipe. But, nutritional yeast takes kale chips to a whole new level – a level that merits obsession and daily consumption. Try your hand at the Spicy & Cheesy Kale Chips presented by the blog Eating Bird Food.

Macaroni & Cheese

We’ve already given macaroni and cheese a serious makeover, and nutritional yeast was an crucial player in this feat. Not only is this recipe vegan, but thanks to nooch, it offers cheesy comfort to a creamy, sweet potato base.

Pasta

Skip the grated parmesan and sprinkle nutritional yeast atop warm pasta along with some garlic powder and a drizzle of olive oil. The combination of flavors makes for a dish that doesn’t miss a thing.

Mashed Potatoes

Stir nooch into mashed potatoes, not only saving calories by nixing cheese but also cutting down on the sodium. Indeed, mashed potatoes can be healthy.

Bean Dip

Emily Malone of the blog Daily Garnish makes a fabulous bean dip using nutritional yeast. If serving this at a party, no one would even be able to tell its vegan.

Roasted Vegetables

One of my favorite go-to meals is roasted vegetables topped with shredded cheese. On days I’d like to skip the cheese and opt for a healthier alternative, I stir nutritional yeast into the finished vegetables instead. When warmed by the vegetables, the yeast smoothens out and creates a creamy sauce with help from the vegetable juices and oils.

Roasted Nuts

Roast nuts that have been tossed in some nutritional yeast. The roasted flavor will be augmented and the nuts will have a slightly cheesy coating on the skin.

Onion Rings

Nutritional yeast has been showing up in onion ring recipes, and for good reason. It helps to increase the nutritional benefit of onion ring batter and adds an edge to each bite. Make the baked fat-free onion rings featured on vegan blog My Whole Deal.

Sauce Thickener

Much like flour and butter are used to thicken a sauce, nutritional yeast can replace the flour to do the same thing.

Gravy

Keeping your health on track during the holidays is all about cutting corners in small ways. Nutritional yeast can redefine gravy. Bring this simple recipe to the table and the cheer will only heighten.

Salad Dressing

Sneak in your B12 quota is by adding a tablespoon of nutritional yeast to a homemade salad dressing like the Hollyhock Salad Dressing, which you can find on A Passionate Plate blog.

French Fries

Want some added nutrition, crisp, and kick to a homemade version of baked French fries? Drizzle olive oil over cut root vegetables and then toss them in a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast. The flavor is out of this world.

Creamy Cooked Greens

Cooked spinach pairs well with cream and cheese, but you can replace those heavier add-ins with a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast and then watch as the bare spinach suddenly becomes decadently creamy and bold in flavor.

Vegan Quiche

Experiment with this No-Soy Vegan Quiche recipe from blog Triumph Wellness. It’s the perfect example of where just a little bit of nooch makes a big difference.

Dog Food

Dogs need their vitamin B12 too, especially if your dog is on a plant-based diet. Mix some nutritional yeast in your furry friend’s nibbles and he or she will benefit in a major way.

Baby Formula

If a baby is using formula in place of breast feeding, it is recommended to add nutritional yeast to the infant formula.  Nutritional yeast provides B12, iron and folic acid, which are essential to growth.

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

Photo Credit: Artizone, Acquired Life

The post 20 Unusual Ways to Use Nutritional Yeast appeared first on EcoSalon.

I’ve never understood why anyone would buy ready-made salad dressing. Salad dressing is incredibly easy to make and most likely, you already have the ingredients in your cupboards. I highly recommend learning a few simple salad dressings as a way to not only continue your efforts to reduce buying processed food, but also to increase your cooking pleasure and save money. Plus, you will save space in your refrigerator because you will no longer have 15 jars of ancient, crusty, half-used salad dressing in the side door.

If you learn even one great salad dressing and how to vary it, I believe you’ll never go back to store-bought again. Here are seven basic vinaigrette salad dressings using olive oil, which is my personal preference. Remember, any recipe is a sum of its parts, so it’s worth doing a little research to find a favorite olive oil, balsamic vinegar or Dijon mustard. I generally try to make only enough dressing for one salad and make it fresh every time, although I believe it will store for a day or two in the refrigerator.

For all of these examples, the directions are the same. I have to admit, I tend to simply measure all the ingredients in a measuring bowl, stir briskly with a whisk and toss with the salad. However, technically, you should combine all the ingredients except the oil and then slowly pour the oil in while whisking to form a perfect temporary emulsion of the oil and vinegar.

Everyone has slightly different taste, so remember to taste the vinaigrette first and make any subtle, necessary adjustments before serving. I’ve read a good rule of thumb is to use three parts oil to one part vinegar (although here I’ve used more like five to one.) And I prefer using kosher salt, but any table salt will do.

With garlic

1/3 cup olive oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

1 small garlic clove, minced

Pinch of kosher salt

Fresh cracked pepper

With Dijon mustard

1/3 cup olive oil

1 T white balsamic vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Pinch of kosher salt

Fresh cracked pepper

With lemon

1/3 cup olive oil

1 T white balsamic vinegar

Juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon

Fresh cracked pepper

With soy sauce

1/3 cup olive oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp soy sauce or tamari

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Fresh cracked pepper

With shallot & dill

1/3 cup olive oil

1 T white wine or Chardonnay vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 small shallot, minced

1 tsp chopped dill

Pinch of kosher salt

Fresh cracked pepper

With fresh herbs

1/3 cup olive oil

1 T red wine vinegar

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 T freshly chopped herbs (such as parsley & thyme)

Pinch of kosher salt

Fresh cracked pepper

With apple cider vinegar & honey

1/3 cup olive oil

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp honey

Pinch of kosher salt

Fresh cracked pepper

Image: Cookthinker

The post Make Your Own Salad Dressing: 7 Tasty Vinaigrettes appeared first on EcoSalon.