Vegan Caesar salad with quick coconut bacon

There are some assumption-busting truths about Caesar salad, from the traditional kind you get in restaurants to my healthy, vegan Caesar salad with quick coconut bacon. Assumptions, about salads? Yep. And it's time to bust a few.

Salad assumptions

Assumptions are unquestioning truths based on personal beliefs, logical constructs, or unconfirmed facts. The Sun rose in the East this morning; it's 4:56 pm because the kitty suddenly jumps up and demands her dinner and salad is 'good for you.'

I remember when I first started chipping away at that last assumption. Embarrassing as this is to reveal it was on a talk show in the '80s (lots of assumptions going on there). But I was riveted because it was all about weight loss, and anything about that quest, my quest, got my attention. After the segment where they revealed the lie detector test results, this man, who has lost an impressive amount of weight, held up a Cobb salad in one hand and a cheeseburger in the other. His reveal was the number of calories and fat in the salad. At that moment, I got it (partially, at least) – don't assume that every salad is healthy.

There is a connection between food assumptions and outcomes.

As a professional dieter, I treated salads as 'free food,' but there are pounds of difference between a simple salad of greens, beans, and oil-free salad dressing and that festival of fat Cobb salad I saw on the TV.

All this happened in the 'dark ages' or pre-Internet, if you will. So, I dusted off my collection of diet books, conveniently only opening to the meal plans because I assumed the 'science' was real, and I started looking at those calorie/fat charts that were in the appendices. Existing assumptions were challenged and replaced with hard facts like what's in the salad is far more important than the name. So….

What's in this vegan Caesar salad version, anyhow?

Caesar salad was not invented by Caesar, this revered salad originated in Tijuana, Mexico, so the legend goes. I learned all about it on a cooking show last year. I found it fascinating that an Italian-American, Caesar Cardini, invented the first recipe in an attempt to attract tourists to his resort. In those days, the salad consisted of garlic croutons, Parmesan cheese, boiled eggs, olive oil, and Worcestershire sauce tossed together with Romaine lettuce. Another assumption bites the dust.

Creamy almond Caesar dressing

Our vegan Caesar salad has little left in common with the original except the croutons and lettuce, but at this point, we should never assume about Caesar salad. Over the years, it's undergone many a metamorphosis, and today, it comes down to three main assumptions – lettuce, croutons, and creamy dressing.

Almonds make it happen.

The secret to this creamy dressing is simple – ground almonds. I used whole-blanched almonds, meaning they were peeled (the white ones). Slivered almonds will also work well because, in the end, we will grind them.

Can't find peeled almonds? Don't want to pay the price?

DIY baby.

If you can find raw almonds, you can enjoy peeled almonds. And the good news? It's simple:

1. Bring a saucepan with water to boiling.
2. Add the almonds, being careful not to splash yourself with the hot water,
3. Boil the almonds boil for about 1 minute.
4. Drain and cool the almonds until you can handle them.
5. Sit, blare your favorite music, and take a few minutes to slide the skins right off the almonds.
6. To peel or not to peel, the question

The answer to your question, can I use unpeeled almonds, is 'yes.' Your dressing might be slightly less creamy unless you have a high-speed blender, and it may not be quite a bright white, but you'll have an equally great taste. And even though it's easy enough to peel almonds, you might also be asking, 'why the extra effort?'. When it comes to cooking, I exert no extra effort unless there is value for said effort. 

From the outside in

Almonds hold a special place in my heart – they are probably my favorite nut. I consider a few raw almonds the perfect post-workout treat because anything to motivate a workout is good. But I always know when I've overdone it. Not the workout, the almonds.

You don't need to be a scientist or almond expert to know if almonds are difficult for you to digest. Take a close look at an almond, and it makes sense. After the shell is removed, unpeeled almonds have tough outer skin. For the almond, the outer shell and the skin serve as protectors so the softer nut inside can germinate, and thus, more tasty almonds grow.

The phytic acid in almond skins, which protects the inner nut, can interfere with enzymes inhibiting digestion.

But there might be something more important to consider when it comes to those crunchy almonds, that I could personally eat by the handful.

Raw versus 'roasted' nuts

There's a good reason why you should always buy raw nuts whenever possible. 'Roasted' usually means added oil and other preservatives. And if you have a problem digesting the skin, the added oil might not help in that department. Also, the added oil can heighten your nut addiction, meaning you'll eat yet another handful – even when you know you've had enough.

After all this nutty almond talk, you might be asking why on earth I'd suggest making an almond Caesar dressing. I have a good answer – it's delicious. And let's not slag off those almonds. There are plenty of nutritional reasons you should eat almonds (in moderation)

The almond Caesar dressing is one thing that sets this vegan Caesar salad recipe apart from the rest. We can debate it against the coconut bacon and crunchy croutons, but dressing 'makes' a salad. you aren't adding much fat with ¼ cup of ground almonds, and the thickness they bring to the oil-free dressing is only comparable to the satiation you'll get once you eat it.

Certainly, Caesar wanted croutons, right?

Vegan or not, I assume that any Caesar salad comes with crunchy, garlicky croutons. But here's an assumption you can break – it's not oil, it's a bit of liquid that allows the herbs and garlic to mix with the bread cubes.

I use a combination of 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth, lemon juice, and Tamari (or soy sauce) respectively, and just mixed in thyme, oregano, and garlic powder. The trick to getting all your bread cubes covered, as I've learned, is the quick stir or shake. Don't combine the liquid with the bread cubes; let them linger. Otherwise, a few cubes will hog all the seasoning. The easiest method I've found is to use a bowl with a lid and seal and shake.

After that, you want to kick them into the oven and allow them to bake up until they are crunchy. The only challenge left at that point is leaving them alone, so you have something left to put on the salad. What is it about croutons? Impossible not to snack on.

Coconut bacon – because anything bacon

This Caesar salad recipe makes no assumptions, but I'm fairly certain that the lovely Caesar Cardini would not have expected coconut bacon to show up on his namesake. Don't assume, dear Caesar, don't assume.

A plant-based diet has never deterred me from my love of bacon flavor. And I can't think about dill pickle pasta salad or scalloped potatoes without plant-based bacon. But all those recipes assumed tofu bacon, and rightfully, it remains one of our favorites, but bacon is about flavor.

And bacon flavor loves coconut flakes.

Bacon flavor in my book is all about combining Tamari, liquid smoke, and maple syrup. That's your foundation – salt, smoke, sweet. I added vegan Worcestershire sauce and hot smoked paprika to give the coconut flakes a bit more depth and spice. And it was smashingly good. Another one of those, is 'hide the ingredient before serving' situations. Far too tempting to have those hanging around.

Be oven-ready

The first time I made coconut bacon before I tweaked the recipe, I knew it would be tasty. How could it not? Does Bacon flavor meet coconut? And I should have known from toasting bacon for chopped Asian salad that it can get away from you quickly. And the first time, it did. I lost a bit of focus, didn't set a time, and, alas, burned coconut bacon.

Coconut flakes are thin, they burn quickly, like seconds after the last time you check them. So, place them in the middle of the oven, toss them a few times, and back them until they brown. Coconut likes to trick you into assuming it won't crisp up once you take it out of the oven. Don't fall for it. Once they brown, remove them from the oven, spread them on a plate, and dare them not to crisp.

Final thoughts

We all make assumptions; it's a part of our humanity. Acknowledging that means that we can deconstruct a few from time to time. Challenge our thinking or reconfirm our beliefs. It could be as simple as looking through our salad lens, focusing on the ingredients and discovering healthier ways to reconnect with old favorites like Caesar salad. To quote Lemony Snicket:

Making assumptions means believing things are a certain way with little or no evidence that shows you are correct, and you can see at once how this can lead to terrible trouble. The Austere Academy

So whether it's a recipe, something we watched on the tube or read on the Internet, best to do some digging before we arrive at our conclusion and open a new path to assumption. Maybe it's a good time to dust off a few lingering assumptions and check out the appendices rather than just open to the diet plan part of the book. Learning happens everywhere, but only if you are open to the view. Peace.

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