Vegan Caesar Salad with Smoky Tempeh

December 29, 2016
Vegan Caesar Salad with Smoky Tempeh

Summer is well and truly here and what better way to spend your days than eating this Vegan Caesar Salad with Smoky Tempeh!

This salad is a winner with the crunchy croutons, the fresh cos lettuce, rice paper bacon, smoky tempeh, flavourful sweet bites of cherry tomatoes, and the creamy dressing! The rice paper bacon can be a bit time consuming, but these days you can buy coconut bacon in the shops, so feel free to substitute with something like that instead!

Vegan Caesar Salad with Smoky Tempeh

I’ve wanted to re-create this one for a while, but it’s next level with the rice paper bacon I discovered recently! If you’re after more rice paper bacon recipes, check out our Rice Paper Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts recipe!

Vegan Caesar Salad with Smoky Tempeh

Salads are the best in the warm weather! So fresh, light and healthy! For more salad ideas, check out one of our round up posts: 27 Salads to Feed your Mind. You’ll find all sorts of wonderful and delicious creations in there from us and other bloggers.

I fried my croutons, but for a healthier option, try baking them instead!

Vegan Caesar Salad with Smoky Tempeh

I used the leftover bacon mixture to marinate the tempeh, but if there’s none left then try just some liquid smoke and tamari with a sprinkle of sweet paprika.

Let us know on social media if you make this recipe! You can hashtag #delightfulvegans on Instagram and tag us! We love to see your recreations!

Vegan Caesar Salad with Smoky Tempeh

Enjoy summer by making this Vegan Caesar Salad with Smoky Tempeh. So fresh and delicious, and filling too! You'll want to make this again and again!

Servings: 2 people
Ingredients
For the Croutons:
  • 3 slices of bread crusts removed
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp mixed herbs
For the Bacon:
  • 1 Tbsp canola oil
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
  • Generous pinch of salt
  • a few drops of liquid smoke
  • pinch of chipotle powder
  • 1 Tbsp savoury yeast
  • 3 sheets of rice paper
For the smoky tempeh:
  • 6 strips of tempeh
  • remainder of bacon mixture
For the creamy dressing:
  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 1 tsp capers
  • 1 tsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 clove garlic
  • pinch of salt
For the salad:
  • 1 head baby cos lettuce
  • 7 or 8 cherry tomatoes halved
Instructions
For the Croutons:
  1. Remove the crusts from the bread if you haven't already. Cut the bread into 9 squares, so you should end up with 27. If the bread is not stale then put it in the oven to crisp up for 5 to 10 minutes. Heat the oil up in a fry pan, add the squares of bread and the add the mixed herbs. Fry for around 5 minutes, moving frequently, until they are golden brown. 

For the Bacon:
  1. Mix all the bacon ingredients in a bowl except for the rice paper. Get a large bowl of hot water and immerse the rice paper into it, one at a time. Then lay on a board and cut it into 4 slices. Dip each slice into the bacon mix and then lay on a baking tray lined with baking paper. You can fold it in half to make it a bit thicker. Cook in preheated oven at 180 for around 20 minutes. Take care not to burn it. Then set aside on a paper towel. 

For the Smoky Tempeh:
  1. You should have some bacon mixture left over. Cut the tempeh into desired length and marinate in the mixture for a few minutes. Then fry in a pan for a few minutes on each side until cooked. 

For the Dressing:
  1. Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth.

For the Salad assembly:
  1. Place the washed cos lettuce in a bowl, add all the other ingredients (you may want to cut the bacon into smaller pieces) and drizzle with the caesar dressing. Enjoy! 

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