Hail Caesar, Emperor Of Salads
The original recipe comes from Sharon Gannon‘s book Simple Recipes for Joy, which has just been released into paperback. Of all the recipes in the book, this one gets made at least once a week or more — I just can’t get enough. Double or triple the recipe for a big party or gathering. This is a smash hit with all of my vegan and non-vegan friends alike. We have jokingly started calling this recipe “finger salad,” because folks just can’t seem to wait for dinner to taste test this delicious recipe.
I think one thing that makes this particular recipe so smart is the capers, because they add that briney/oceany flavor that one would get from anchovies in an omnivore recipe.
One modification that my guests loves is to do half of the vegan mayo called for and the other half tahini, which gives the dressing a little more body. Another thing that I learned by accident is that the “low fat” version of commercial vegan mayonaise brands are a little less liquid-y, so the final product ends up a little less watery. I also like adding a sprinkle of nori (you can just tear off a corner of a nori/seaweed sheet) this also brings up that salty/sea flavor of traditional Caesar dressing.
This is such a winner and also such a forgiving recipe, so no need to sweat over the exact measures if you feel like modifying and improvising! You might want to make more than you need, it lasts up to a week in the fridge.
The Original Recipe:
1/2 cup olive oil 2 tsp fresh lemon juice4 tbs vegan mayonaise 1 tsp dijon mustard 2 tsp nutritional yeast 1 tsp vegan Worchesterchire sauce 2 tsp capers (with brine) 2 large cloves garlic 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper
Its super quick and easy to blend all these together either in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Feel free to experiment with some of the modifications above or experiment on your own!
To read more of Jessica Stickler's food ideas, click here.
-Illustration by Beth Sworobuk
