health freak kale caesar salad (gluten-free and vegan)

Looking for a bowl full of nutrients that is super healthy AND loaded with flavor? You have come to the right place! I call this the health freak kale Caesar salad because it is loaded with ONLY clean, nutrient rich ingredients…and it’s DELICIOUS!

This recipe consists of kale, air fried chickpeas, radishes, capers, and king oyster mushrooms, a sprinkle of sunflower seeds and nutritional yeast…and it’s all tossed in a healthy bean and tahini caesar dressing.

This healthy kale Caesar salad is incredibly easy to make and LOADED with flavor! Make this recipe on the days that you are looking to load up on nutritional…but this salad tastes so good you will want to eat it all the time!

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WHAT YOU WILL LOVE ABOUT THIS KALE CAESAR SALAD

• EASY TO MAKE – This kale Caesar salad is so simple to make! You can have the whole thing prepped and ready in under 20 minutes! This is the perfect recipe for beginners.
• NUTRIENT DENSE – This kale Caesar salad recipe is absolutely LOADED with nutrients! Seriously! Every ingredient in this healthy salad brings a ton of vitamins and nutrients to the table.
• LOADED WITH FLAVOR – This healthy kale salad has so much flavor! The dressing alone is super addictive…but add roasted chickpeas, radishes, and mushrooms to the mix…plus sunflower seeds…HEAVEN! This salad is savory AND lemony fresh.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS KALE CAESAR SALAD

• KALE
• MUSHROOMS – I used king oyster mushrooms because they texture is nice and meaty. Feel free to sub out any mushroom of your choice.
• RADISH – I went with purple radish, but use any radish of your choice
• CHICKPEAS – I used canned chickpeas to make life easier
• SUNFLOWER SEEDS
  TAHINI – Tahini is pureed toasted sesame seeds. It is thick in consistency, similar to a nut butter, making this a perfect ingredient to create a super creamy, vegan, caesar dressing. You can find Tahini in the nut butter section or the International section of the grocery store.
• WHITE BEANS – Use cooked white beans for this recipe. I personally used canned cannellini beans.
• WATER
• LEMON JUICE
• LEMON ZEST – Lemon zest is the grated skin of a lemon. If you don’t have a grater, just slice of a super thin piece of the skin of the lemon. 
• NORI FLAKES – Nori flakes are seaweed flakes. They help develop a nice, fishy flavor that replaces the sardines that are traditionally found in Caesar dressing. You can usually find them in the International section of the grocery store and always online.
• NUTRITIONAL YEAST – Nutritional yeast, also known as nooch, is basically nature’s vegan cheese powder! Nutritional yeast is yeast made from living saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast, which is the same yeast used to make bread. Nutritional yeast is a powdery, with large flakes and has a mustard-like color. Nutritional yeast has a unique, cheese-like flavor that can be described as savory and slightly nutty. This delicious, flavor boosting ingredient is very popular in vegan and dairy free cheese recipes and is often the key ingredient to create a dairy free, cheese-like flavor. You can find nutritional yeast in the seasoning or vegan section of most grocery stores. It’s always at Whole Foods and online as well.
• CAPERS – Capers help develop the fishy, salty flavor that is traditionally found in Caesar salad
• DIJON MUSTARD – can substitute any mustard
• BLACK PEPPER – Fresh ground black pepper is the best option because it has more flavor.
• BLACK SALT – Black salt is also known as Kala Namak. It is a volcanic rock salt produced in the Himalayan region. Black salt is an amazing addition to your spice cabinet. With its pungent, egg-like flavor it is a significant player in making this vegan tahini Caesar dressing taste more like egg that is traditionally found in Caesar dressing.
• GARLIC – Fresh garlic is best! But you can substitute garlic powder if needed.

HOW TO MAKE KALE CAESAR SALAD

PREP INGREDIENTS FOR AIR FRYER

Start by preheating the air fryer to 400ºF. If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat button, just turn it on for 5 minutes before use.

Prep 2 oz of king oyster mushrooms by slicing them into pieces (about 1/4 inch thick) and cutting a grid into it (see picture below). Don’t cut all of the way through, you just want to make thin slices. The grid is optional, but allows your mushrooms to cook a bit better and it looks pretty! If you use small mushrooms instead of king oyster mushrooms, skip this step.

Next, slice 1 radish into thin slices.

Combine your mushrooms, radishes, 1 tbsp capers and 1/2 a can of chickpeas in a bowl. Add 1 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix until evenly combined.

Lay ingredients in a single layer on an air fryer tray. Place in preheated air fryer and cook for 10 minutes at 400ºF. Flip ingredients at the half way mark to allow them to cook more evenly.

While the ingredients are air frying, use your time wisely and move ahead to prep the kale and dressing.

MAKE THE CAESAR DRESSING

This Tahini Caesar Dressing only takes 2 minutes to make!

Simply combine 2 tbsp of tahini, 1/4 cup cooked white beans, 2 tbsp water, 1 tbsp lemon juice, zest from half a lemon, 1/2 tsp nori flakes, 1 tsp capers, 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/8 tsp black salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper, 1 clove of fresh garlic, and 1/2 tbsp of Nutritional yeast in a blender. Mix on high for 30 seconds to one minute, or until the dressing is creamy and smooth. Set aside.

PREPARE THE KALE

Wash and dry the kale. Remove the stems from the kale and discard. Rip or cut the remaining kale leaves into bite sized pieces. Massage the kale with your hands for 30-60 seconds. This allows the kale to soften, making it easier to chew.

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

Place the kale in a bowl and top with dressing. Mix until the kale is evenly coated. Top with 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds, 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast, and air fried ingredients. Top with extra lemon zest for extra flavor. Serve and enjoy!

TIPS FOR MAKING KALE CAESAR SALAD

• MASSAGE YOUR KALE – Don’t forget to massage your kale! Take the 30-60 seconds and massage the kale with your hands to allow it to soften, making it easier to chew.
• TASTE TEST YOUR DRESSING – When you are working with fresh ingredients, like you are for this tahini Caesar dressing, you should always taste test and adjust the recipe as needed.
• USE SOFT BEANS – You want to make sure your cooked white beans are super soft. I recommend using canned beans to make things simple. But if you use beans that you cooked from scratch, make sure they are soft so they blend into a smoother consistency.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

• Do I need an air fryer – No, you can bake your ingredients instead. Air fryers are just a bit faster, so adjust the cooking time as needed.
• Can I make this in advance – Yes! This healthy kale Caesar salad is the perfect recipe to prep in advance. Simply prepare all of the elements, but don’t add the dressing until you are ready to serve.
• How much dressing does this recipe make – This tahini Caesar dressing makes about a 1/4 cup of dressing.
• What can I substitute for tahini or beans – If you need to skip the tahini or beans, you can also make a super creamy caesar dressing with vegan yogurt, silken tofu, or raw cashews.
• What do you use to replace the anchovies found in traditional Caesar dressing – To replace the fishy flavor of traditional Caesar, you will be using nori flakes and capers. The combination of these two ingredients create a plant-based fishy, salty flavor!
• What do you use to replace the eggy flavor found in traditional Caesar dressing – Traditional Caesar dressing is made with egg yolk. To replace that eggy flavor with vegan ingredients, you will use black salt. Black salt is a salt that has a sulfury flavor similar to eggs.
• What do you use to replace the cheesy flavor found in traditional Caesar dressing– A lot of Caesar dressing has Parmesan cheese mixed in. To replace that cheesy flavor you will use nutritional yeast.

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