Vegan Creamy Ranch Salad w/ Cheesy Chickpea Croutons

Dear salads,

I love you so! I will never speak ill of you, tease you, or turn my back on you. Thank you for being so tasty, and making me feel so healthy and energized and refreshed. You always have my back, and I'll always have yours.

Yours truly,

Hannah

If I could write to salads this would be my message! Often we think of salads as just "rabbit food" that only "dieters" would desire to consume, but it couldn't be more mistaken. Salads are one of my most favourite meals for lunch or dinner because they are so wholesome, nutritious, delicious and diverse! And we should celebrate salads for being this awesome! Because actually, they were made to please the masses. Whether you prefer vinaigrette based salads, caesars or ranch - salads got you covered! So why all the cynicism towards the beautiful greens and vivid toppings that give so much to us? Salads are eager to please, and we should be glorifying them!

For this reason I'd like to share this Vegan Creamy Ranch Salad with Cheesy Chickpea Croutons, which is particularly easy to praise! Its creamy ranch base is totally drool-worthy, and will even make the salad skeptics wide-eyed as they peek over your shoulder in the lunch room. It's dressing is savoury, rich and delicious and can pair with any leafy green of choice - kale, spinach, arugula or mixed greens. My recommendation is to enjoy the dressing on a delicious bed of arugula, because the natural peppery taste pairs so perfectly with this creamy ranch dressing! I've then topped the salad with glorious crunchy Cheesy Chickpea Croutons. OH MY GOODNESS! It takes this salad to the next level with it's flavourful cheesy taste and wonderful crunch! Your eyes will be spinning with delight! They are SOOO yum!

So the next time someone is mocking your "rabbit food" I strongly urge you to push a plate of this creamy ranch salad their way. It's the perfect example that healthy doesn't have to taste like rabbit food. What's nutritious can always be delicious. So let's stop ragging on salads okay? Because really, what have they done except provide wholesome nutrients and taste that makes us feel so good about eating healthy. <3

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Vegan Creamy Ranch Salad with Cheesy Chickpea Croutons

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Serves: 4| Prep Time: 10 mins| Cook Time: 20-30 mins

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Ingredients:

• 4-5 large handfuls of salads greens (arugula, mixed greens, spinach, or kale)

• 1 cup Cheesy Chickpea Croutons

• Vegan Creamy Ranch Dressing, to taste

• Pepper to taste

For the Cheesy Chickpea Croutons:

• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

• Approx. 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp sugar

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds

• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

For the Creamy Ranch Dressing:

• 1/2 cup raw cashews

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 lemon, juiced

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Pat chickpeas completely dry, then line a baking tray with tin foil and spread the chickpeas onto tray.

2. Drizzle chickpeas with olive oil and sprinkle on your nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, and salt. Lightly pound the fennel seeds into a powder using a muddler, or the back of a wooden spoon, and add. Finally add your cayenne pepper. Mix chickpeas gently on tray to ensure all are evenly coated with the mixture. Place in oven to bake for 20-30 minutes, or until crunchy and golden. (To stop chickpeas from burning remove them from the oven every 10 minutes, give them a stir and place back in the oven. To test whether they are crunchy enough remove 2-3 chickpeas from the baking tray and let cool for 3 minutes. Then taste. They should by crunchy like a nut!).

3. In a blender make your Creamy Ranch Dressing: Add raw cashews, water, lemon juice, garlic cloves, onion powder, salt and pepper. Mix for approx. 1 minute.

4. In a mixing bowl toss mixed greens with creamy ranch dressing, using as much dressing as desired. Sprinkle with Cheesy Chickpea Croutons and serve.

*Note: Ranch dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Chickpea croutons can be stored in the fridge for up to one week.

Approvals:

Allergies:

VEGAN - VEGETARIAN - WHEAT-FREE - GLUTEN-FREE - DAIRY-FREE - SOY-FREE

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