caesar salad with chickpea croutons

We’ve taken a few liberties with our Caesar salad, and really, with its olives, tomatoes, chickpeas, and onions, it’s more of a Caesar-Greek mash-up. I like to think of it as a “Caesar+”—plus nourishing veggies, and minus the little anchovies we prefer to let swim free.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Step 2

MAKE THE CROUTONS: Pat the chickpeas dry with a paper towel and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Season the chickpeas with the salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss. Roast for 10 to 20 minutes longer, until crisp. Remove from the oven. Taste and adjust the salt if needed. Let cool completely.

Step 3

MAKE THE DRESSING: In a high-speed blender, combine the cashews, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, capers, garlic, mustard, and Worcestershire. Blend on high speed, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary, until no lumps remain. With the blender running on low speed, slowly pour in the olive oil and blend to emulsify.

Step 4

MAKE THE SALAD: Place the baby spinach in a large bowl. Add the dressing little by little until well coated. (You might have dressing left over; if so, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.) Add the onion, tomatoes, and olives and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Divide the salad among four serving bowls and top liberally with the chickpea croutons.