Ruby's Re-creations: My favourite salad.

So, upon heading home from uni for the summer this year, I hit a big challenge: one of my favourite cafés, The Green Rocket, wasn’t going to be near me for four months, which meant I couldn’t get my Caesar salad fix — which is my absolute favourite thing to order from them!

So, I decided I would try to recreate it at home! I compiled lots of different recipes that I found online to create all the key components of this dish.

All the different times I've had their salad plus my at home recreation!

It’s made up of lots of different elements, so let’s break it down so you can stay with me…

The Base

First, let’s get into the base ingredients that act as a vessel for all the additional flavours and toppings we’re going to add. Like any traditional Caesar salad, this one starts with chopped lettuce in chunky strips. Mixed into the lettuce is also a handful of finely chopped spinach to add a different texture to our base.

Okay, if you’re with me so far (and if you’re not, I fear you need to stop now because we only go up from here), we’re going to add some cubes of crispy smoked tempeh to provide a crispy, chunky protein and act as our chicken replacement for a traditional Caesar salad.

Okay, now let’s add some unique toppings to make this a little more exciting…

The Toppings

Imitating all the elements of a traditional Caesar salad, but making them vegan, gluten-free and full of flavour!

The Bacon…

Now, like chicken, one of the things synonymous with a Caesar salad — and one of the things I love most about the original version of this salad from The Green Rocket — is its introduction of coconut bacon to me instead of using shop-bought vegan bacon, which I’m not a fan of.

This was surprisingly easy to make at home too! I just bought some coconut chips and mixed 40g of these with 1 tbsp of neutral oil, 2 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce, 1 tsp paprika, and salt and pepper. I spread this evenly out on a baking tray and baked it at 180°C fan for 8–12 minutes until crispy. You want to sprinkle a hefty amount of this into your salad.

The Parmesan…

One of the major flavour providers in a classic Caesar salad, this is a must-have component. Making it vegan did not mean The Green Rocket skipped out on it — they added a good sprinkling of a parmesan made out of Brazil nuts.

It is surprisingly easy to do and a great addition for both flavour and texture, with the roasted nuts providing some crunch to the finished dish. The Brazil nuts are roasted at 170°C for five minutes and left to cool before being added to a blender along with nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt. This is then blended until it creates a chunky, crumb-like texture and sprinkled over the top of the salad!

The Sauce…

Now, the key to unlocking any good salad is using a good sauce, and this salad is no different. It perfectly imitates the creamy, smooth sauce from a traditional Caesar salad while packing in lots of flavour.

I used a really simple blend to recreate it at home:

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1 tsp garlic puree

• 2 tsp capers

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1/4 tsp distilled white vinegar

  
  

I blended that all together and poured it over the finished salad!

The Finishing Touches…

There were a few final additions to complete this salad, alongside all the other components. I love adding a sprinkling of extra capers and chunks of avocado. The original salad also uses homemade croutons, which you could make by toasting some nice gluten-free bread in the oven.

Or, I love having mine with crispy chips or a nice piece of focaccia (my go-to is the gluten-free White Rabbit garlic focaccia).

I hope this gave you some inspiration to try recreating some of your favourite dishes at home, or to give this one a go! If you want to see what other recreations I’m getting up to, or want to stay up to date with me, check out my Instagram @rubysgfkitchen.

Happy Cooking,

Ruby x