Vegan Caesar Salad

I am still trying to add to my recipe index of recipes that fill me up but also taste great. And this recipe for Vegan Caesar salad does just that. I think I may even enjoy it more than regular Caesar salad. It is easy to throw together flavorful, has great crunch and it is so healthy for your.

Vegan Caesar Salad

Ingredients

For the salad:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large sweet potato, peeled, Blade C
salt and pepper, to taste
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
3 packed cups chopped kale
For the dressing:
1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 large cloves garlic
1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
For the chickpeas:
1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed, patted dry
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper and salt and whisk together. Add in the chickpeas, toss to coat, and then drizzle with the olive oil. Toss again to mix. Place the chickpeas out evenly over a parchment-paper lined baking sheet and bake 30-35 minutes or until crisp, shaking the pan half way through.
Twenty minutes into baking the chickpeas, place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Once oil heats, add in the sweet potato noodles and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cover and cook, uncovering occasionally to toss, for 5-7 minutes or until sweet potato noodles are cooked through. Set aside in a large bowl when done.
While the sweet potato noodles cook, place all of the ingredients for the dressing into a high speed blender and pulse until creamy. Taste and adjust (more tang? more lemon! more spice? more pepper! more flavor? more dijon!) Set aside.
When sweet potato noodles are done, wipe the skillet clean. Coat with cooking spray and add in the kale. Sautee for 3 minutes or until the kale is warmed up and slightly wilted, seasoning lightly with pepper and add to the large bowl with the sweet potato noodles.
When the chickpeas are done roasting, prepare the salad. Pour the Caesar dressing over the kale and sweet potato noodles and toss to combine thoroughly. Portion onto four plates and top with spiced chickpeas. Serve immediately.