Vegan Chickpea & Kale Salad

 

I love kale. Like I could eat it every single day and it 100% grosses Chris out. 😂 He can’t stand it, so lucky me… I don’t have to share this. This easy Vegan Chickpea & Kale Salad is SO simple to toss together and only takes a handful of ingredients.

 

Easy, simple lunch? Check.

Simple snack for the kids? Check.

Delicious, light dinner? Check!

I incorporate a lot of meatless meals into my diet on a regular basis, so I love vegan cooking! When we go out to eat, I typically order vegan dishes. I love, love, love trying new vegetable packed dishes. If you’re the same, you’ll love this salad. It’s so easy to make this vegan chickpea & kale salad.

Even better? It’s made with pantry staples, other than the kale! If you want to make it non-vegan, just sub our regular mayonnaise. Wanting to add more protein? Add a veggie burger, grilled shrimp or chicken. A fried or poached egg would be absolutely delicious as well to have this for brunch!

Vegan Caesar Salad w/ Kale & Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
Serves: 2
Serving size: 1 salad

INGREDIENTS
Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
15 ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
Combo of seasonings sprinkled over the chickpeas (smoked paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder)
Kale Caesar Salad
1/4 cup vegan mayo or you can use tahini
½ lemon, freshly squeezed
2 large cloves garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
4 capers, smashed and a splash of caper juice
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 large bunch lacinato kale

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. To prepare the Roasted Chickpeas, toss the chickpeas with olive/avocado oil and seasonings of your choice in a bowl, then pour them onto a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange them into a single layer, then bake until crisp, about 25 minutes.

2. Now it’s time to prepare the vegan caesar dressing. Stir together the vegan mayo/tahini, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, smashed capers, caper juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Stir until smooth, be sure to try it. You want to make sure the flavors are to your liking.

3. To assemble the salad, remove the tough stems from the kale leaves and use your hands or a sharp knife to rip the kale into small pieces. I julienned my kale, similar to how you would cut basil. Toss the leaves with the dressing. I always toss the dressing with the salad, I want to make sure the dressing is coating the kale.

4. When the chickpeas are done roasting, let them cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle them generously over the kale salad and serve. Leftovers can be stored separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

If you like this recipe, try these out as well!

Vegan Cookie Dough

Raspberry Peach Sangria

 

*Nutrition information depends on brands used.