Kale Caesar Salad With Chickpeas & Tahini Ranch

This kale Caesar salad with chickpeas is a delicious and filling salad recipe—and when I tell you it is the best Caesar salad I’ve ever had (not to mention the healthiest and most colourful), I am not kidding! It takes about 25 minutes to prepare and is tossed in a homemade dairy-free tahini ranch dressing. Try it out as an appetizer, lunch, or side dish—and make sure to bring it to your next dinner party to wow your friends and family! Depending on whether you’re having it as a main or side dish, it serves 2-4.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 16-18 minutes

Servings: 2-4

Ingredients

• 1 can of chickpeas (400mL, about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp paprika (smoked or regular)
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 4 large kale leaves
• 1 tbsp olive oil (see notes for oil-free)
• 1/2 avocado
• Handful of cherry tomatoes (about 10-12)
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1 tbsp hemp seeds
• Pickled onions (optional)

Tahini Ranch Dressing

• 3 tbsp tahini
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp caper brine
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tbsp vegan mayo (see notes for oil-free)
• 1 clove of garlic (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
• Water, to loosen

Equipment

• Lined baking sheet

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then add them to a mixing bowl with nutritional yeast, soy sauce, smoked paprika and maple syrup. Mix well, then spread the chickpeas on a lined baking sheet.
3. Roast the chickpeas for 16-18 minutes, until golden.
4. Remove the kale leaves from their stems then wash and dry. Tear or cut into bite-sized pieces, then add them to a salad bowl with olive oil and massage with your hands to break down the kale (this will help soften it).
5. Prepare the tahini ranch dressing by mixing together tahini, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, caper brine, maple syrup, vegan mayo, garlic, and water to loosen.
6. Cut avocado into chunks and halve cherry tomatoes.
7. Once the chickpeas are roasted, assemble the salad by adding them to the bowl with the kale, then the avocado chunks, cherry tomatoes, capers, hemp seeds, and pickled onions. Drizzle the dressing on top, toss, and enjoy!

Notes

*For an oil-free salad, simply massage the kale with a bit of lemon juice, and omit the vegan mayo from the tahini ranch dressing.

*Feel free to double the batch of chickpeas, and save the leftovers for a salad another day or make these delicious wraps with them!