Crowd favorite Kale Caesar Salad with Brussels sprouts, made with crunchy croutons and an irresistible cashew-based caesar dressing!
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a caesar salad with kale on kale!
Kale caesar to be exact. We're salading with the best of 'em today, friends. I whipped up this plant-based kale caesar salad back in December when I had all the ginger molasses and peanut butter cookies to share and sadly, this salad got temporarily put on the back burner.
Not that salad isn't worth celebrating! You folks now how much I love a meal-worthy salad. Not only do I require crunch, tang, and creaminess, but I also want a wicked and totally non-boring dressing to tie it all together. Mission accomplished!
This gem is an ode to the kale caesar we sell at our restaurant Alchemy, piled high with carrot ribbons, lemony roasted chickpeas, and crushed hazelnuts. Like my Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad, it's locked and loaded with all the best textures. Crunch galore!
I feel like no one has hazelnuts at home, so I swapped them out for super duper simple homemade rosemary croutons that will exponentially improve your salad game, guaranteed. They're SO GOOD.
I wanted lots of bright, colorful, crisp veggies in this salad. I went with purple kale, red cabbage, and Brussels for texture but it's super forgiving. Not a fan of Brussels or craving a more traditional caesar salad? Ditch the kale for crisp romaine! Just be sure to store the dressing separately.
Let's talk dressing details. This caesar will likely knock your socks right off. The combination of creamy cashews and plenty of garlic paired with tangy capers, lemon juice, and Dijon make for an insanely satisfying salad dressing if I do say so myself.
I mean if you don't have garlic breath, did the caesar even happen?!
We enjoyed this salad as a side dish paired with soup for lunch, but it can totally stand on its own and is perfect for a crowd because it gets better with age and holds up well in the fridge.
For more oomph, feel free to add roasted chickpeas or whatever protein floats your boat.
Your salad, your rules, boo thang.
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Favorite Kale Caesar Salad with Brussels Sprouts
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Crowd favorite Caesar Salad with Kale and Brussels Sprouts, made with crunchy croutons and an irresistible cashew caesar dressing!
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 bunch kale (I used purple), de-stemmed and sliced into ribbons
- 12 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved and very thinly sliced or shredded
- 1 ½ cups thinly sliced red cabbage or radicchio
- Optional add-ins: ½ cup toasted walnuts
For the caesar dressing:
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 6 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup water (more to thin if needed)
- 1 ½ tsp dijon
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp capers
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Lots of freshly ground black pepper
For the rosemary croutons:
- 1 heaping cup stale/crusty bread, cut into cubes (I used defrosted from frozen multigrain bread)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp each dried rosemary, garlic powder, and kosher salt
Instructions
- Place cup cashews in a small bowl. Cover with boiling water.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Place bread cubes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silipat. Add oil, spices, and salt tossing to combine. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop the Brussels, kale, and cabbage and place in a large mixing bowl. (If you have a mandolin or shredding attachment on your food processor, feel free to use for the Brussels and cabbage.)
- Drain and rinse cashews. Combine dressing ingredients in a blender (I used my nutribullet) and blend until very smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust if needed.
- To serve, place veggies and as much dressing as desired in a mixing bowl and toss thoroughly so everything is coated, massaging the dresses into the kale. Top with croutons just before serving. If you're only eating a portion, toss a small amount and keep the rest separate in the fridge and combine just before serving. Dressing will thicken as it sits in the fridge, so add water if needed. I love this shaker bottle for leftover dressing!
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