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Lemon Tahini Caesar Salad

Lemon Tahini White Bean Caesar Salad

5 from 5 votes
Elevate your culinary journey with the Lemon Tahini White Bread Caesar Salad. From being a picky eater to embracing plant-based goodness, this recipe delivers a tantalizing twist on the classic Caesar. The creamy, lemony dressing harmonizes with crisp kale, white beans, and a savory vegan Parmesan. In just 20 minutes, you can relish a satisfying and calcium-rich meal.
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Author: Lauren McNeill

Ingredients

FOR THE DRESSING

  • ¼ cup 60 g tahini
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  • 1 tbsp 15 ml olive oil
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  • ¼ cup 60 ml lemon juice, about 1 lemon
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  • 1 tbsp 15 ml Dijon mustard
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  • 1 clove garlic
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  • 2 tbsp 22 g nutritional yeast
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  • 1 tbsp 15 ml maple syrup or other sweetener
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  • ½ tsp salt - or to taste
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  • ¼ tsp pepper - or to taste
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  • 3 tbsp 45 ml water, plus more as needed

FOR THE VEGAN PARMESAN

  • ⅓ cup 44 g raw, hulled, unsalted sunflower seeds
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  • ½ tsp salt
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  • 2 tbsp 22 g nutritional yeast
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FOR THE SALAD

  • 4 cups 268 g kale, diced
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  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
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  • ¼ red onion - sliced
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  • 1 19-oz [540-g] can whitebeans, drained and rinsed
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OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

Instructions

  • In a high-speed blender, blend the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, salt, pepper and water to make the dressing. Add more water to adjust the consistency to your liking.
  • Using a small food processor, coffee grinder or blender, blend the sunflower seeds, salt and nutritional yeast until the vegan Parmesan has the texture of sand.
  • In a large bowl, sprinkle the kale with apple cider vinegar. Using your hands, massage the kale and apple cider vinegar together until the kale is slightly wilted and darker green, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add the onion, white beans, 2 tablespoons (30 g) of the vegan Parmesan and the salad dressing to the kale. Toss well to combine everything. Feel free to serve it with additional vegan Parmesan, pepper and lemon juice.
  • Refrigerate salad leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Refrigerate leftover vegan Parmesan separately in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

  1. You can definitely use romaine lettuce in this recipe if you’d prefer it over kale!
  2. You’ll likely have leftover vegan Parmesan. Feel free to use it in pastas, salads and even on popcorn!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!