Vegan “Chkn” Caesar Pasta Salad
Creamy Caesar dressing, fresh kale – romaine lettuce, crunchy chickpea croutons, tofu “chkn” and al dente pasta. A delicious twist on a classic and perfect for any lunch or dinner.
Servings
2-4 people
Cooking Time
30 min
Vegan Chkn Caesar Pasta Salad
By: Naysha Rivera
Creamy Caesar dressing, fresh kale – romaine lettuce, crunchy chickpea croutons, tofu “chkn” and al dente pasta. A delicious twist on a classic and perfect for any lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 bunch of kale (2-3 cups) de stemmed
- 2 heads of romaine lettuce
- 1 can of chickpeas
- 1 box of rotini pasta (use other pasta if desired)
- olive oil (for roasting chickpeas) + frying tofu
“Chkn”
- 1 package extra firm tofu
- 2 cups of breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup of chickpea flour (check notes)
- 1 cup of plant based milk
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp tumeric
Parmesian “Cheese”:
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 2 TBSP of nutrional yeast
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- salt to taste
Tahini Caesar Dressing:
- 1 cup tahini (can sub vegan mayo) (see notes)
- 1 TBSP nutritional yeast
- 2 TBSP dijon mustard
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 TBSP capers + 1 TBSP juice
- 2 TBSP lemon juice
- 1 tsp agave
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- Season to taste: onion powder, garlic powder, salt black pepper (about 1/4 tsp each)
Notes:
Dressing: This recipe uses tahini as the main base for the dressing, however you can sub for vegan mayo, it will alter texture and flavor a bit (more ranchy apposed to be more nuttier)
Tofu “Chkn” :If soy free you can use sub for oyster mushrooms, lions mane and or portobello
Swaps :This salad is a whole food based recipe but if in a pinch you can swap out for any vegan product such as vegan parm, vegan chicken and or dressing.
Step by Step Instructions
Pasta:
Boil your salted pasta water and cook until al dente or desired texture. (7-12 min) set aside to cool down and throw into salad later.
Chickpeas:
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees – Rinse chickpeas clean and throw into a bowl with olive oil salt, pepper and garlic powder. Throw onto a sheet pan and bake for about 10 -15 min or until golden and crispy.
Chkn Prep:
Drain and press firm tofu so all the moisture is out. Cut into 4-5 even (1 inch) thick slices.
In 2 separate bowls set up dredging station for tofu pieces. One bowl with breadcrumbs and in another bowl mix your plant based milk + flour+ chan seasonings to create a thick batter.Take your tofu pieces, dip it in the milk flour batter until fully covered and then drop into the bowl with breadcrumbs until fully coated. Repeat step for all pieces of tofu. Set aside and put into the freezer while we prep the rest of the salad.
Salad:
Take your kale and de stem the leaves (you can use them if you want but I prefer not too sometimes). Chop into thin slices and throw into a bowl and massage until tender (5 min or so). Chop romaine into medium slices throw into bowl of kale.
Parmesan :
Blend parm ingredients in blender until a fine powder.
Dressing :
Blend dressing ingredients in blender until silky and smooth, adjust as needed.
Cook Chkn:
In a medium size pan heat up your olive oil and fry tofu pieces until golden crispy. Slice into even size pieces
Mix Salad:
Mix salad ingredients together (kale, lettuce, pasta, crispy chickpeas, parm and dressing) top with more vegan parm and crispy chicken.
