The impossible vegan caesar salad by Matt Preston

Name: Easy vegan caesar salad recipe by Matt Preston
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 baguette, thinly sliced diagonally; Olive oil spray; 2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved; 4 baby cos lettuces, leaves separated; 4 Brazil nuts; 1 tbs olive oil; 1 tbs soy sauce or tamari; 1 tbs white miso paste; 2 tsp smoked paprika; 2 large carrots, peeled into ribbons; 300g silken tofu; 2 small garlic cloves, crushed; 2 tbs nutritional yeast; 1 tbs capers, rinsed and drained; 1 tsp mustard powder; 2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

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The impossible vegan caesar salad by Matt Preston

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by Matt Preston

delicious. senior editor

Jan 20, 2020

"Much has been written about the process of creating ‘carrot bacon’. Food muse Michelle Southan and I feel that pairing miso and smoked paprika gives a far more intense salty flavour and roasty rasher look than the usual addition of tahini, which can be drying and has a dominant flavour all of its own. This carrot bacon also brings some of the chewiness and smokiness that meat eaters relish with their bacon." – Matt Preston. This recipe is from More by Matt Preston, with photography by Mark Roper (Plum, $39.99), and has been edited for delicious. style.

1 baguette, thinly sliced diagonally
Olive oil spray
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
4 baby cos lettuces, leaves separated
4 Brazil nuts

Carrot bacon

1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs soy sauce or tamari
1 tbs white miso paste
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 large carrots, peeled into ribbons

Vegan Caesar dressing

300g silken tofu
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tbs capers, rinsed and drained
1 tsp mustard powder
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

1.

Preheat the oven to 170°C (or150°C fan-forced) and line two large baking trays with baking paper.
2.

For the carrot bacon, combine the olive oil, soy sauce, miso and paprika in a bowl. Place the carrot ribbons on the prepared trays and brush on both sides with the miso mixture. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the carrot over and brush with any remaining miso mixture, then bake for a further 5 minutes or until slightly charred around the edges.
3.

For the dressing, place all the ingredients in a small food processor, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and process until smooth and well combined. Transfer to a bowl.
4.

Heat a barbecue grill to high. Spray both sides of the baguette slices with olive oil. Grill in batches for 2􏰂 minutes each side or until golden and charred. Rub one side of each slice with the cut side of the garlic. Set aside.
5.

Arrange the lettuce leaves and baguette croûtons on serving plates, top with carrot bacon and dressing and finely grate the Brazil nuts over the top.