A turn of a new season calls upon the need for a palate change, so I decided to play around with some ingredients in my kitchen. My result was an oh, so addicting Vegan Kale Caesar Salad. With raw cashew “croutons”, and thinly sliced jalapeños, there is a perfect balance in flavor in the recipe. 

Vegan Kale Caesar Salad 

Ingredients

• 1 lb chopped curly kale, stems removed
• 1/2 jalapeño, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons raw cashews
• 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Method:

1. Assemble the kale into a large salad bowl.
2. In a mini food processor, place the cashews, lemon juice, water, olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, & pepper and pulse, until consistency becomes thick and creamy.
3. Pour over kale and massage with gloves on, until evenly mixed. Season with remaining 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast.
4. Garnish with jalapeños and cashews and serve.

Note: This salad tastes better the following day since the kale gets massaged and the cell wall breaks down.