Grilled Romaine Salad with Vegan Caesar Dressing

A classic recipe made healthier with the help of whole food ingredients. This vegan caesar dressing is the perfect addition to grilled romaine salad!

You can now have all the creamy tangy goodness of traditional Caesar in a vegan version! It’s perfect for drizzling, dipping or eating with a spoon.

Vegan Caesar Dressing and Grilled Romaine

I have had multiple requests from readers to create a Caesar dressing, so when I was asked to review the new cookbook Love and Lemons Every Day by Jeanine Donofrio, I jump at the chance to try her version.

I love the simplicity and whole food ingredients it uses, it’s basically a dump and blend kind of recipe. Loads of flavor and a bonus, my kids loved it!

Her book overall is absolutely gorgeous. Other than the vibrant yellow color, the recipes inside induce serious drool. A few of my favorites that I marked to try were:

• Creamy Sweet Corn Parpadelle
• Flourless Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Loaded Butternut Squash Queso

Her photos literally make you  want to eat the page. And I love the diversity of what she offers.

I also love that she has some helpful sections at the beginning, things like:

• Seasonal produce guide
• Section all about proteins
• What parts of veggies you shouldn’t waste
• Her favorite things

What is Caesar dressing made from?

Traditional Caesar is made from the following main ingredients blended together:

1. anchovies
2. garlic
3. egg yolks
4. oil
5. parmesan
6. dijon
7. lemon

Can vegans eat Caesar dressing?

Three of the ingredients above are not part of a vegan diet: anchovies, eggs and parmesan. So what replaces those flavors? There are many ways to use plants to recreate them!

In this recipe, she uses cashews and capers to recreate the traditional flavors. I also love that she uses water instead of oil. Cashews have plenty of whole food fat and oil is not needed.

How to you get grilled romaine lettuce?

While I never though I’d like my lettuce cooked, grilling romaine is delicious! The key is a hot grill and a light coating of olive oil.

You want the grates really hot, and you also want to brush the cut romaine heart with a touch of oil. This helps it char just the right amount. Make sure they aren’t wet or they will get really wilted.

How to make the perfect vegan Caesar dressing

I love easy dressings you can through into a blender and have ready in less than 5 minutes! Especially super flavorful ones like this.

1. Put all the ingredients into a blender.
2. Blend until creamy smooth!

Once it is all done, you want to put it in the fridge to set and get cold. You can also make some homemade croutons, because yum.

Then assemble your grilled romaine salad with all the things.

If you like this recipe, please consider rating it with the star rating system and leaving a comment below. I love hearing from you and seeing your awesome remakes! Find me on Instagram and tag me @veggiesdontbite and #veggiesdontbite, or you can also find me on Facebook, and Pinterest. Thanks for helping me spread the word about delicious food!

Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate. Please read more about that here.

5 from 3 votes

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Grilled Romaine Salad with Vegan Caesar Dressing

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

A classic recipe made healthier with the help of whole food ingredients. This vegan caesar dressing is the perfect addition to grilled romaine salad!

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: healthy salad, vegan salad dressing

Servings: 6

Calories: 96 kcal

Author: Sophia DeSantis

Ingredients

• 2 slices whole-grain bread , or gluten free if needed
• ½ garlic clove
• Extra-virgin olive oil , optional for drizzling
• 3 heads romaine lettuce
• 2 radishes , sliced paper-thin
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 2 teaspoons capers , drained
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon wedges , for serving
• ¼ cup microgreens , optional
• Pinches of red pepper flakes , optional

Dressing

• ½ cup raw cashews
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons capers , drained
• ½ cup water
• Freshly ground black pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Rub the bread slices with the cut side of the garlic clove and slice the bread into cubes. Toss the bread cubes with a drizzle of olive oil and bake until crispy, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Make the dressing: In a high-speed blender, place the cashews, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, capers, water, and a few grinds of black pepper. Blend until creamy.
3. Preheat a grill or grill pan to high. Slice the romaine heads in half lengthwise, then drizzle with a bit of olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper. Grill the romaine, cut-side down, until char marks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Gently flip the romaine and grill for 2 minutes more.
4. Assemble the salads with the grilled romaine and a drizzle of the dressing. Top with the radishes, chives, capers, and croutons. Sprinkle with the hemp seeds, microgreens, and red pepper flakes, if using. Serve with the lemon wedges and the remaining dressing on the side.

Recipe Notes

• you can cut the oil out if you don't use oil
• I roasted the radishes for extra flavor

Reprinted from Love & Lemons Every Day by arrangement with Avery, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2019, Jeanine Donofrio

Nutrition Facts

Grilled Romaine Salad with Vegan Caesar Dressing

Amount Per Serving

Calories 96 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Cholesterol 0mg0%

Sodium 61mg3%

Potassium 105mg3%

Carbohydrates 5g2%

Fiber 0g0%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 1290IU26%

Vitamin C 3.5mg4%

Calcium 16mg2%

Iron 1.5mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.