AmericanSalad

Caesar's Crunch Salad

A vegan take on Caesar salad - crispy seared smoked tofu standing in for croutons, over massaged kale and herbed quinoa, with a creamy cashew-caper-mustard dressing.

Eat nowMake-aheadContains mustard, soy, tree nuts
Hands-on26 minTotal time49 minEnergy705 kcalProtein38g
Recipe details
PortableLightKitchen project

Equipment: Hob, Blender

Keep chilled after cooking

Caesar's Crunch Salad
Servings1 standard portionAdjust

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Standard portions

About 700 kcal per adult reference portion

Making 1 standard portion. Ingredients, instructions and Cooking Mode update together.

Doubling up barely adds effort and covers another mealtime.

Ingredients

Base

Salad

Dressing

Toppings

Now we make

Method

Do the night before

  1. 1
    Defrost 125g cooked quinoa overnight in the fridge if using frozen
  2. 2
    Defrost 18g cooked mung beans overnight in the fridge if using frozen

These steps sit outside the cooking-day clock.

26 min hands-on 49 min altogether
  1. 3
    Cover 15g cashews with water and soak for at least 30 minutes, then drain
    πŸ– 1 minπŸ’€ 30 min unattended
  2. 4
    Toast 9g sunflower seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant; let it cool before using
    πŸ– 3 min
  3. 5
    Warm quinoa and mung beans together in a pan with a splash of water, 3-4 minutes, until heated through. Spread on a plate to cool completely - warm quinoa wilts 55g finely shredded kale
    πŸ– 4 min
  4. 6
    Use pre-toasted sunflower seeds
    πŸ– 1 min
  5. 7
    Cut 105g smoked firm tofu into cubes. Heat a dry pan to medium-high with no oil, add firm tofu in a single layer and sear 2-3 minutes per side without moving until golden and crisp - these are your croutons, so let them get properly crunchy
    πŸ– 6 min
  6. 8
    Massage kale with a small pinch of salt for 1-2 minutes until softened
    πŸ– 2 min
  7. 9
    Blanch 55g broccoli in boiling salted water for 90 seconds only, drain and run under cold water immediately
    πŸ– 2 min
  8. 10
    Blend cashews, 27ml lemon juice, 3ml olive oil, 11g soy yogurt, Β½ clove garlic, Β½ tsp mustard, 9g nutritional yeast and 7g ground flaxseed until completely smooth, adding a splash of water to loosen to a pourable, creamy consistency
    πŸ– 4 min
  9. 11
    Toss massaged kale, quinoa and mung beans base, broccoli, ΒΌ cucumber and 1 tbsp capers with the dressing. Top with seared firm tofu croutons and ΒΌ avocado, finish with 4g nutritional yeast and 1 pinch black pepper
    πŸ– 3 min

Look under the lid

Nutrition details

Nutrition is shown for one standard portion, not the whole batch selected above.

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Nutrition summary

At a glance

Higher inVitamin KVitamin CPhosphorus
Lower inVitamin ACholine

Worth noticing: Saturated Fat uses more than half of the daily limit in this portion.

Calories

705kcal

34%
Top contributors
Firm Tofu Β· 23%Quinoa Β· 19%Cashews Β· 12%
22% cal

Protein

37.9g

60%
Top contributors
Firm Tofu Β· 35%Nutritional Yeast Β· 16%Quinoa Β· 14%
26% cal

Carbs

46.6g

Top contributors
Quinoa Β· 40%Nutritional Yeast Β· 8%Firm Tofu Β· 7%
52% cal

Fat

40.8g

58%
Top contributors
Firm Tofu Β· 26%Avocado Β· 19%Cashews Β· 16%

Small numbers, big impact

Everyday essentials

Fibre20.48g
70%
Top contributors
Quinoa Β· 17%Avocado Β· 17%Nutritional Yeast Β· 15%
Vitamin B122.08ΞΌg
87%
Top contributors
Nutritional Yeast Β· 100%
Vitamin D0.14ΞΌg
1%
Top contributors
Soy Yogurt Β· 100%
Iodine0.00ΞΌg
0%
Iron9.59mg
53%
Top contributors
Firm Tofu Β· 30%Quinoa Β· 20%Cashews Β· 10%
Zinc6.07mg
55%
Top contributors
Firm Tofu Β· 29%Quinoa Β· 22%Cashews Β· 14%
Calcium631.21mg
63%
Top contributors
Firm Tofu Β· 57%Kale Β· 22%Broccoli Β· 3%

Nutrients food alone won't reliably cover

These three are commonly under-consumed across all diets, not just plant-based ones - the difference is mainly B12, which has no whole plant food source at all.

  • Vitamin B12: is absent from whole plant foods entirely - the number above only reflects fortified ingredients (nutritional yeast, fortified soy milk). A reliable B12 supplement or fortified source is the standard recommendation for a fully plant-based diet, regardless of what any single day's total shows.
  • Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): most people fall short here regardless of diet - the typical omnivore diet doesn't include much oily fish either. This app only tracks ALA, the plant form (flax, walnuts, hemp, chia). The body converts some ALA to EPA and very little to DHA - the forms most directly used by the brain, eyes and heart - and that conversion is inefficient. An algae-oil supplement is the usual plant-based way to get EPA/DHA directly; it won't show up as an ingredient in any recipe here.
  • Vitamin D: deficiency is widespread across all diets, not just plant-based ones - it's mostly absent from whole plant foods here, and even the fortified soy milk and yogurt tracked don't cover the full target from food alone. Reasonable sun exposure or a D2/D3 supplement is the standard recommendation.

Not medical advice - if you're eating fully plant-based long-term, it's worth a conversation with a GP or dietitian, and a blood test is the reliable way to check where you actually stand.

See the full supplement guide (incl. creatine) β†’
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