Caesar & Smoked Tofu Sandwich

This Caesar & smoked tofu sandwich is one of my favourite sandwich recipes with an incredibly creamy Caesar dressing. The tofu is marinated in olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, smoked paprika and garlic powder, then tossed in the air fryer or oven for 20 minutes. The homemade creamy Caesar dressing is made with vegan mayo, dijon mustard, capers, dill (and more!), and then tossed with lots of chopped romaine lettuce. And finally, it wouldn’t be a good sandwich without some fresh tomatoes and hummus. Get the recipe below, and enjoy!

Prep time: 5-10 minutes

Cook time: 18-25 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 200g extra-firm tofu
• 5 large leaves of romaine lettuce
• 1 tomato
• 1/2 avocado
• 2 heaping tbsp hummus (optional)
• Fresh bread

Homemade Caesar Dressing

• 2 heaping tbsp vegan mayo
• 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 lemon (or 1-1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)
• 1/2 tbsp capers
• 1/2 tbsp liquid from caper jar
• 1/2 tbsp agave or maple syrup
• Fresh chopped dill
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• Pinch of salt

Equipment

• Lined baking sheet or air fryer

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F (skip if using air fryer, see notes).
2. Thinly slice tofu into about 8 strips (4 per sandwich). To a shallow bowl, mix together 1 tbsp olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, smoked paprika and garlic powder. Add the tofu slices to a lined baking sheet, then brush the marinade over. Ideally, you could let marinate for a bit (30 mins) but this is optional! Roast for 18-25 minutes, flipping halfway.
3. While that’s roasting, prepare the homemade Caesar dressing. In a small mixing bowl, mix together vegan mayo, dijon mustard, lemon juice, capers, caper liquid, agave/maple syrup, a small handful of chopped dill, and a pinch of salt
4. Chop romaine lettuce, then add to the mixing bowl with the Caesar dressing to coat it well in the dressing.
5. Prepare the rest of the sandwich ingredients by slicing the tomato, avocado and bread slices. Optionally, you can toast your bread and add about one heaping tbsp of hummus to each sandwich.
6. Once the tofu is done, load the sandwich with the tofu, tomato, avocado, and Caesar-tossed lettuce. Enjoy! 

Notes

*If you have time, prep your tofu ahead of time and let marinate in a container in the fridge for a few hours before cooking. But this is optional!

*If using an air fryer, I recommend air frying at 400F for about 15-18 minutes, flipping the tofu slices halfway.

*For a crispy sandwich, you can either toast the bread beforehand or once the sandwich is assembled, fry both sides on medium heat with some plant-based butter or olive oil until crispy.