Kale Caesar Salad with Chickpea Croutons
Salad:
1 batch roasted chickpeas (recipe below)
large bundles lacinato or curly kale, chopped or torn
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp hemp seeds
Dressing:
1 cup raw cashews (soak overnight in cool water, or in hot water for 1 hour)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp each sea salt and black pepper, add to taste
10 medium cloves fresh garlic, chopped
4 tsp capers in brine
2 tsp brine juice from capers
6 Tbsp lemon juice (2 large lemons yield ~6 Tbsp)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup hot water (plus more to thin as needed)
1 tsp white miso paste
1 tsp pure maple syrup
Instructions:
To prepare dressing, add raw cashews, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, garlic, capers, brine juice (from capers), lemon juice, olive oil, hot water, miso paste, and maple syrup to a blender. Blend until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Add enough water to thin until pourable.
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more lemon or mustard for zing, salt or capers for saltiness, olive oil for creaminess, maple syrup to sweeten, or miso for more depth of flavor. Set aside.
Add kale to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp each olive oil and lemon juice as recipe is written. Massage by hand to remove some of the bitterness and soften the texture.
Add desired amount of dressing; toss to coat and top with crispy chickpeas and hemp seeds. Serve immediately. Any left over dressing will keep in the fridge for one week. Enjoy!
Chickpea Croutons:
Ingredients:
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus sea salt for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Drain, rinse and pat dry the chickpeas. Spread out on a baking sheet. Combine the oil and spices in a small bowl and add to the chickpeas. Toss well until evenly coated. Evenly spread out the chickpeas on the baking sheet and put in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then stir and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Drizzle with the lime juice and set aside to cool and dry.