This salad is a summer time staple. Adding the chickpeas makes it hearty enough for a meal in itself. Vary the veggies to your liking. The creamy Mock Caesar dressing has a “from-the sea” taste and gives this salad an added flavor dimension. Enjoy!

Dinner Salad for 2-3 persons

Salad Ingredients

1 bunch of hearts of romaine, chopped into small bite size pieces ( I buy hearts of romaine that come packed 3 to a package)

1  15-oz can chick peas, no-salt-added, BPA-free liner, drained and rinsed

2 medium carrots, grated

1 1/2  cups of sweet yellow corn, fresh or frozen, thawed

1 1/2  cups of red cabbage, shredded

1/2 bunch of scallions, finely chopped

1/3 of an european cucumber, cut length wise into thirds, then thinly sliced

1 cup of tomatoes, chopped (I like to use cocktail tomatoes)

Fresh lemon juice for topping the salad (optional)

 

Creamy Mock Caesar Dressing

Makes approx. 1 1/3 cup

Prep Time: 10 minutes   need soaked chia seeds and cashews

Ingredients

½ Tbsp. chia seeds, soaked in ½ cup of hot water

¼ cup cashews, soaked

1 medjool date, pitted

1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast, large flakes

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 large clove of garlic, minced (if you are using a high-speed blender, you can throw it in whole)

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp.brown rice vinegar

1 tsp. nori flakes*

1 tsp. capers

Fresh pepper to taste

¼ cup water (or more, if needed)

Directions

• Soak chia seeds in hot water, for about 30 minutes or until seeds have expanded
• Soak cashews in hot water for about 30 minutes; drain off water when finished
• Add chia seeds, cashews and remaining ingredients to a high-speed blender. Blend on high until dressing is smooth and creamy. This dressing will be quite thick. If you like a thinner consistency, you can add more water or a little bit of unsweetened plant milk. Let dressing rest in the refrigerator, to allow to cool and flavors to meld.

Notes

• *To make nori flakes, cut up a sheet of nori and then add to a spice grinder. I use a small electric coffee grinder to do this. You will have more then you need for this recipe from one sheet. Store left over flakes in a tight container for your next batch of dressing. I grind mine to very fine flakes, almost powdery.

The recipe  for the dressing was inspired by http://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/vegan-caesar-dressing/

Assemble salad

• Toss all ingredients in a large bowl.
• Add dressing. Start with half of a batch of dressing, then adjust to your liking.
• If using, squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon juice on top of salad and toss well. Enjoy!