I am not even kidding – I eat often this salad at least 5 times a week during the summer! It is perfectly refreshing, satiating, creamy, and delicious! I particularly love this recipe because it feels both indulgent and healthy all at once.
It’s dairy free, vegan, and made with tons of ingredients available local to us in the PNW for a lot of the year. It is also loaded with healthy fats and clean proteins. I really can’t think of anything else I’d want for a salad!
Both the dressing and the cashew parmesan keep well in the fridge – so you can make a big batch and enjoy throughout the week, like I do!
Ingredients
Serving Size: 1 medium size salad bowl (approx. 2 people as a main or 4 people as a side)
For the Salad
– 10-12 stalks kale (de-stemmed and finely chopped)
– 2 cups finely chopped romaine
– 200g tempeh chopped into cubes
– 3 cups chopped cauliflower (can also use yams/ make yam fries like in the picture below)
– 2 medium size beets, thinly sliced
– Olive oil for drizzling
– 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
– 1/2 tsp. paprika
– Lemon wedges for serving
For the Hemp Dressing
– 1/2 of a medium size ripe avocado
– 1/4 cup hemp hearts
– 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
– 1 clove garlic
– 1 Tbsp. Tamari (gluten free organic soy sauce)
– 1.5 tsp. raw honey
– Juice of 1/2 a lemon
– 1/2 tsp. sea salt
– 4 Tbsp. olive oil
– Water for thinning. I recommend starting with 1/4 cup and adding more if needed.
For the Cashew Parmesan
– Check out: http://www.megdejongnutrition.com/recipe-cashew-parmesan-crumble/
*See Note
Instructions
– Preheat oven to 350°F
– Thinly chop the beets into thin slices and the cauliflower into small florets or if using yams, into the shape you desire (I like cubes or fries)
– Place on a large cookie tray and drizzle with a few Tbsp. olive oil, along with the paprika, and cumin powder
– Place cookie tray in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes (should be fork tender when they are done baking)
– In the mean time, chop the romaine and de-stem and finely chop the kale. Place in a large salad bowl and give the greens a little massage with your hands to activate the enzymes and soften the kale up
– Heat a cast iron pan on medium heat with a touch of olive oil. Once heated, add the chopped tempeh
– Cook tempeh until lightly browned (should take approximately 4-5 minutes).While the tempeh is cooking, add a small splash of Tamari to the pan to give it some extra flavour.
– To make the dressing, place all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth and creamy. Feel free to add more salt or garlic to make it spicier, more honey to make it sweeter, or more avocado to make it creamier. It can be flexible depending on your preferences!
– Once the beets are fork tender and the cauliflower is lightly browned, remove from oven
– Assemble salad in a large bowl adding the baked veggies and tempeh to the kale/ romaine. Drizzle everything with dressing and finally, add the cashew parmesan to top it all off! Serve with fresh lemon wedges for some extra zest
*NOTE: if you don’t have time to make cashew parm, feel free to sprinkle the salad with plain nutritional yeast and some extra hemp hearts.
