Vegan Kale-Avocado Caesar with Tahini Dressing

This has been one of my go-to Caesar Salad recipes for quite a long time. I don’t share this one liberally because I’ve been holding onto it so that it can be featured in my Cookbook! More to come on this later 😉

You can certainly forego the avocado in this recipe, if you like, but I love the decadent creaminess that it adds to this salad. Do note, once dressed, this salad does not keep very well, so I would suggest dressing it as needed. If you are sensitive to raw kale (gassy business anyone?!), I suggest massaging the kale with a little squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt beforehand. This will softened up the kale a bit and make it easier on the digestive system.

Some of my favourite ways to serve this salad is alongside some bbq salmon, chicken, or tofu, as a side dish to curry or chile, as an amazing addition to a potluck, or just straight up the way she is!! Don’t forget, there’s a good dose of protein in this salad because we use tahini in the dressing and it’s topped with pumpkin seeds!

Vegan Kale-Avocado Caesar with Tahini Dressing

Tahini Caesar Dressing:
1 head roasted garlic (see notes below)
¼ cup tahini
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
2 Tbsp water
Lots of freshly ground pepper

• Combine all ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth. 

Pumpkin Seed Parmesan
1 cup pumpkin seeds
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp salt

• Place all ingredients in your food processor and process just until a coarse meal forms. Transfer to a glass jar and keep refrigerated.

For The Salad:
1 medium bunch of lacinato kale, stemmed, chopped & washed
1 large head of romaine, chopped & washed
1 large avocado, cubed
1/4 -1/3 cup pumpkin seed parmesan

• Place all ingredients in a large salad bowl and toss with Caesar dressing. Serves 4-6.
  

To Roast Your Garlic:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Slice off top of the head of garlic. Drizzle with a little melted coconut oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and place in a shallow dish. 

• Roast until golden and soft, 40-60 minutes. Let cool then squeeze out your (or pick out with a fork) garlic cloves.

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Mediterranean Style Quinoa Salad

As we move closer to the end of Spring, beginning of Summer, our appetite and palate begin to beckon for more fresh food, salads, lighter meals, and fresh herbs. This is a light, but hearty, late Spring salad, loaded with protein and fresh vegetable goodness! This is a beautiful dish for a potluck and also works well for lunches or a lighter dinner. As always, feel free to modify this recipe to suit your taste buds and/or your macronutrient needs. This salad would pair beautifully with some baked chicken, salmon, white fish, or pan fried tofu and/or chickpeas/lentils/other beans.

Just a quick note here on why we love quinoa!

Health Benefits of Quinoa:

• A Complete Protein: Quinoa is one of the very few grains that contain all 9 essential amino acids, making this superfood an incredible source of protein. A 1 cup serving of cooked quinoa contains a whopping 8g of protein.

• High Fibre: A high fibre diet is strongly associated with lowered levels of LDL cholesterol, maintaining balanced blood sugar levels, and reduced risk associated with cardiovascular disease development and most cancers. Fibre helps the body to feel satiated for longer periods of time, which makes it an incredibly supportive food for healthy weight management. The high soluble fibre content found in quinoa is particularly beneficial for regulating hunger, providing bulk to stool for a healthier colon and overall gut.

• High Nutrient Profile: Aside from its protein and fibre content, quinoa has substantial quantities of beneficial nutrients. It contains iron, zinc, & potassium, with notable levels of copper, manganese, magnesium, & phosphorus.

• Antioxidant & Anti Inflammatory Properties: There are 2 main flavonoid compounds found in quinoa: quercetin and kaempferol. Both of these flavonoids contain powerful antioxidant components and anti inflammatory properties that aid in prevention of disease formation, immune function, and cancer protection.

Mediterranean Style Quinoa Salad

Serving Size 6-8
3 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup dry)
4 cups arugula, packed
1 large cucumber, diced
1/2 medium red onion, diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup kalamata olives, halved
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 can white butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
I cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
Mediterranean Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp maple syrup
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
Fresh pepper

• Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl and combine with a fork.

• For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake until well-combined.

• Pour enough dressing over salad just to coat and adjust seasonings as needed.

• Optional Add Ins: Chicken, Salmon, Tofu, Chickpeas, Feta.

As always, if you make this recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know if you’ve enjoyed it or made any modifications! Feel free to share some pics on social media as well 😉

Happy Salad Eating!

Garlicky Vegan Mashed Potatoes

There is one dish during a big Thanksgiving meal that seems a bit tricky to replicate without heaps of butter & milk: MASHED POTATOES. It’s been many many years now that I’ve been strapping on my apron for a day in the kitchen for Thanksgiving or Christmas and worked and reworked my vegan recipe twists on some good old standbys.

The time has come to share my mashed potato secret with you. And, to be honest, it’s not really rocket science or or anything overly tricky. The biggest tip I have for delicious vegan mashed potatoes, is roasted garlic. The butter substitute is very handy, but if you don’t have one, you can omit it and just cream your potatoes up with extra roasted garlic and almond milk.

OPTION: You can substitute some of the potatoes for some cauliflower. Why, you say?! Well, why not, my veggie loving friends….WHY NOT?

From my hot & steamy all day cooking party heart to yours ♥️

Garlicky Vegan Mashed Potatoes

Makes 6-8 Servings
6 medium-large potatoes, cut into 2” chunks (peeled or not peeled, you decide)
Optional: sub 2 potatoes for ½ medium head of cauliflower, cut into 2” florets
3-4 heads of garlic, roasted (organic garlic will definitely add more punch)
1/2 cup vegan butter/cashew butter/regular butter (my favourite to use here is Myokos cashew butter, but you can use ghee or another dairy substitute)
1/2 cup plant based milk (more if needed)
2-3 tsp himalayan sea salt
1-2 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp onion powder
Lots of fresh pepper

• In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add potatoes (& cauliflower, if using) and boil until fork tender.

• Transfer cooked vegetables to your food processor (or a bowl and use a masher or a hand blender) and add in all other Mash ingredients. Blend until smooth. Adjust seasonings and taste until your little heart is perfectly satisfied!