Ceasar Salad with Crispy Garlic Roasted Chickpeas

**dressing requires soaking cashews for 1-2 hours

I was never one to make my own salad dressings but now that I’ve started, I can’t buy bottled.   This dressing is thick, delicious, full of flavor and anchovy free! 

Along with the crispy garlic roasted chickpeas, I added a few homemade croutons.

It’s a meal on it’s own but we enjoyed it with a side of oven baked potato wedges.

Ceasar Salad with Crispy Garlic Roasted Chickpeas

Dressing:

1/2            cup raw cashews

1/4            water

2               tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1               tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 & 1/2     teaspoons Dijon mustard

1-2            cloves garlic, to taste

1/4-1/2      teaspoon garlic powder, to taste

1 & 1/2     teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce (Amy’s brand is good)

2 & 1/2     teaspoons capers

1/2            teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste.

Place cashews in a bowl and add water to cover by a couple of inches.  Soak for 1-2 hours or overnight in the fridge.  Drain and rinse.

Transfer the cashews to a high-speed blender and add the remaining dressing ingredients except the salt.  Blend on high until the dressing is super smooth.  You can add an additional splash of water if necessary to get it blending.  Add salt and adjust the other seasonings, if desired, and blend briefly to combine.  Set aside.

Garlic Roasted Chickpeas:

1            14-oz can chickpeas, drained  and rinsed

1            teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2         teaspoon garlic powder

1/2         teaspoon fine sea salt

1/8-1/4   teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste  (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place the chickpeas in a dishcloth and rub dry (it’s ok if some skins fall off).  Spread the chickpeas out on the baking sheet.  Drizzle with the oil and roll the chickpeas around your hands to coat.  Sprinkle on the garlic powder, salt and cayenne, if using and gently shake the pan until combined.  Roast for 15 minutes, then gently roll the chickpeas around on the baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes more, until lightly golden.  Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.  The chickpeas will be soft coming out of the oven, but they will firm up as they cool.

Salad

We used Romaine lettuce, orange bell pepper, red onion, thinly sliced cucumbers and home made garlic croutons.