Roast Sweet Potato & Chickpea Vegan Tahini "Caesar"
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This is my fall / winter take on a vegetarian (and vegan!) Caesar salad, using tahini as the main ingredient in the vegan version of a classic caesar dressing. This is great dish to make as a side with a roast chicken, when you want a healthy yet hearty vegetarian / vegan main, or to serve at a dinner party when you have vegan friends and family.
For the tahini dressing I use a mason jar - any air tight container will do. You just want to make sure you use a container where you can seal the lid and shake vigorously. If you have a food processor or a good blender, you can also toss all the dressing ingredients into it and blend until smooth (this is honestly the best way to get a smooth, creamy dressing - but the mason jar technique is perfect if you don't have the extra equipment!). This recipe will make more dressing than you need for 2 servings, but it keeps for over a week in the fridge and can be used to make this salad again, or serve with any roast vegetable, protein, etc. I also like to toss chopped broccoli in the tahini dressing and roast it as a side dish, it's delicious!
Homemade croutons make this simple salad feel extra special. You can use any kind of crusty / loaf bread of choice, even if it's a bit stale. If you're using a new loaf of bread and aren't using up all of it, cube the rest of the bread, put it in a ziplock and freeze the cubed bread - you'll have crouton ready bread that can be baked straight from the freezer the next time you want to make this or any other crouton-friendly salad! I use regular bread here but if you're GF you can absolutely sub a good, crusty GF bread. The chickpeas end up really crispy when roasted with the potatoes, so you could skip the bread and still have a nice crunch without it.
This salad is vegan as is, but if you aren't strictly vegan you can absolutely add grated or shaved parmesan cheese to this salad (it's delicious!) and / or serve it with your favorite protein on top. I especially like this salad with a little grilled or poached chicken.
This recipe serves 2, but it can easily be scaled up or down for one or more people!
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat your oven to 425 F and line a sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper.
Peel your sweet potato(s) and slice them into 1/4 inch rounds. Place them on the parchment lined sheet pan. Drain and rinse your chickpeas, and add them to the sheet pan with your sliced sweet potatoes. Add the 1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt, ground cumin, paprika, and garlic powder to the sheet pan with the 3 tablespoons olive oil. Using your clean hands or a spatula, toss the sweet potatoes and chickpeas until they are evenly coated in the olive oil and spice mixture.
Place the Sheet pan in the oven and roast the veggies for ~15-18 minutes until golden and browning in spots.
While the vegetables are roasting, make your croutons. Cut the 1/3 loaf of bread into 1 inch cubes. Place them on a sheet pan and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and a big pinch of kosher salt. Mix them around well then place them in the oven with the vegetables and let them toast for ~10 minutes while the vegetables finish roasting.
While the vegetables and croutons finish cooking, make the tahini dressing. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a mason jar. Screw the lid tightly shut and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Check the dressing - it should be thick but easily pourable. If it's not, add a splash more hot water and shake again then check. Add a splash more water at a time until it's the right consistency (you shouldn't need to add more than 1/2 cup of hot water total). Taste and adjust seasoning with salt or pepper to taste.
Place your greens in a large mixing or serving bowl. Top with the roast vegetables, the croutons, and a ~1/4 cup of the tahini dressing. Toss well, then add a tablespoon or so more of dressing at a time and toss until it's your desired level of dressed. Add the sliced avocados on top, season them with a small pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper, and serve!