Vegan Chic'n Caesar Salad

I am pretty much always in the mood for a big delicious caesar salad. The traditional caesar dressing is loaded with mayo and anchovies; foods I find especially nasty. I've crafted my own version of a traditional caesar dressing using vegan and diet friendly ingredients. 

Caesear Dressing: 

1/3 cup raw unsalted cashew nuts

4 cloves of garlic (peeled)

2 tbsp fresh rosemary

1 package light silken tofu

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

I tbsp capers

1 tbsp agave syrup

1 tsb mustard powder

1/2 tsb red chili flakes

1 tsp salt and pepper 

In a food processor combine all the dressing ingredients until smooth. Add more lemon juice/oil as needed.

Croutons:

Preheat the oven to 375

1/4 olive oil

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 tbsp lemon juice

salt, pepper, spice

old bread torn into bits

combine the oil, garlic and lemon juice mix well. Coat the bread in the mixture and place the bread bits on a backing tray. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Salad

Home made seitan- grilled

some roasted beets or other veggies of your choice

1 large head of romaine lettuce

1 cup of arugula 

1 small red onion

Mix the salad greens together, add the dressing, and mix well. Top with the croutons, seitan, and beets.

enjoy!

In love- with a crock-pot

I am head over heels in love, I feel in like on Thursday when I bought a slow cooker. I was thinking: who has time to cook. The slow cooker sat in my car all weekend. I wasn't convinced; I have limited counter space and the slow cooker isn't mini-sized.  The dilemma was short lived and easily compromised. I want hot meals, and I don't want to cook after a stress full day. 

I set up the slow cooker and followed the directions. Seriously, I'm in shock at the simplicity of the appliance. To complement my new appliance I purchased, "The Vegan Slow Cooker," by Kathy Hester. I am amazed at the variety of foods you can make in a slow cooker and am excited to expand my culinary comfort zone. 

For my first slow cooked meal, I decided to make my own Seitan ( a meat substitute). Seitan is uber tasty and freakishly easy to make. 

In the Crock-Pot on low combine:

- 4 cups vegetable broth

-3 cups water

- 1 cup chopped celery

- 1 sliced jalapeno

- some cilantro

- 1 lime juiced

To make the seitan, first get a big mixing bowl out, and combine:

- 1 cup water

- 1 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten

- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

-1 tablespoon tomato paste

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1 tablespoon garlic powder, onion powder, and or whatever you feel like (Rosemary is a tasty add in)

- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

mix it all together and knead the dough for a few minutes, and then let it rest for 10minutes.

Roll out the dough and shape it however you like. Put the "strips" in the slow cooker and cook on low for 3-4 hours (the seitan will float on top of the broth once their cooked).

This recipe makes a fair amount. You can use some of it ASAP mix it into stir-fry's, pasta, whatever... and  freeze the rest. Enjoy.