This Vegan Cuban Caesar Salad is made with fresh romaine lettuce, crumbled twice-fried plantains as croutons, and a dairy-free caesar dressing!
This post is sponsored by Califia Farms. All opinions are my own.
Growing up in a Cuban household meant dinner every day was DELICIOUS. Picadillo, tostones, arroz con pollo, you name it. It was all part of my diet and it was amazing. Cue heart eyes.
Today, I’m giving the classic caesar salad a Cuban twist by adding crumbled tostones as croutons!
Um, YES PLEASE!
I also made a dairy-free Caesar dressing with simple ingredients including Califia’s Cashew Homestyle Nut Milk which is made with oats, sea salt, and coconut cream. It’s soy-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, kosher, vegan, and BPA-free. The dairy-free caesar dressing turned out creamy, nutty, garlicky with a slight umami flavor. It’s perfect!
How to make dairy-free caesar dressing
First things first, you gotta soak the cashews for 20 minutes. This isn’t a totally crucial step but it does help the cashews blend better. It also makes the dressing more smooth and creamy. You then make dairy-free buttermilk by stirring together Califia’s Cashew Homestyle Nut Milk + lime juice and allowing it to sit for 30 seconds.
Now into a food processor or blender (this is my blender which I love), add the drained cashews, dairy-free buttermilk, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, coconut aminos, garlic, and a pinch of salt + pepper. Pulse until all is well blended. Taste and adjust salt + pepper, if needed. If you need to thin out the dressing, whisk in a teaspoon of water at a time until desired consistency.
You can make this dairy-free caesar dressing one day in advance and keep it in the fridge until ready to serve.
Make sure to wash your romaine lettuce. Once you have the Tostones (Twice-Fried Plantains!) cooked and your dairy-free caesar dressing ready to go, you can assemble the salad and enjoy!
Can’t wait for you to try this recipe!
Vegan Cuban Caesar Salad with Plantain Croutons
Ingredients
- 4 cups romaine lettuce
- Tostones (Twice Fried Plantains) for crumbling into the salad
Dairy-Free Caesar Dressing
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup Califia Farms Homestyle Cashew Milk
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl, soak cashews with water for 20 minutes.
- In a cup, stir together Califia Farms Homestyle Cashew Milk + lime juice and allow to sit for 30 seconds. This makes dairy-free buttermilk.
- In a food processor or blender, add the drained cashews, buttermilk, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, coconut aminos, garlic, and a pinch of salt + pepper. Pulse until all blended. Taste and adjust salt + pepper, if needed. To thin out, whisk in a teaspoon of water at a time until desired consistency. Set aside.
- Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, add romaine lettuce. Crumble plantains over salad and drizzle with dairy-free caesar dressing. Mix it all together and serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Thank you Califia Farms for sponsoring this post and a HUGE thank you to all the readers of this blog for all your support! xo
Originally posted in May 2019. Updated photos and recipe in April 2020.
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