May 10, 2019 - Foodie Friday & Vegan Cesar Dressing Recipe and Road Trips with Mom

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​Foodie Friday & Vegan Cesar Dressing Recipe and Road Trips with Mom

OMG!  I cannot apologize enough for your favorite cousins missing yesterday!

I don't think this has ever happened.  I cannot answer for Tanya, except that I know she is leaving today for her next trip to Seattle, Washington today.

As for me, well, I started my blog and then I got a phone call from my mom to please come over as my Dad was having a tough morning.  He hadn't slept well and my mom thought it would help if I tried to liven him up with some card playing.

Now, just so you know, my Dad was always a big card player.  He is especially good at rummy and gin rummy.  I'm not bad, but definitely not as good as him lol.  Even with his meds and not being 100% himself, he still consistently beats me!

We played 4 games yesterday of 7-card rummy and he won three of them!!  

I decided to come by this morning first thing after dropping the girls off so I could join him for breakfast and then to continue our card game.

Well, it's Foodie Friday on Travelin' Cousins and your's truly has her weekly vegan recipe to share with you!

This week, I want to tell you about a fantastic 
Grilled Vegan Caesar Salad  I made this week.  Trying all different recipes lately for Dad, since we transitioned him to a vegan diet, so that we keep things interesting for him.

Our goal is to get him to eat more greens, so I thought, what about a Ceasar salad?  Romaine lettuce is quite healthy and knowing that he likes Cesar dressing, I thought I would find one that was vegan - and Voila! That's what I did.

And he absolutely LOVED IT!!

Now, I'm going to share it with you!!

(photo credit: cookstr.com)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 romaine lettuce hearts, cut in half lengthwise
Sea salt
1 cup Homemade Garlic Croutons (recipe follows) or store-bought croutons
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup Vegan Caesar Dressing (recipe follows)
1 head of garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt
2 cups day-old bread (preferably whole wheat), torn or cut into bite-size cubes
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons capers plus 1 tablespoon caper brine
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
A dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/3 cup slivered almonds
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (see Notes)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

CAPERS - My opinion is that it is the capers that give the dressing the "anchovy" flavor that is found in Ceasar dressing. (photo credit: thewannabecredit)

Directions

1. To Make the Salad: Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
2. Drizzle the oil over the surface of the lettuce, sprinkle it with salt, and place cut side up on the grill or grill pan for 30 sec¬onds, just until grill marks form. Flip and grill the lettuce cut side down for 1 minute, until it is heated but not cooked and good grill marks have formed. Remove the lettuce to serving plates and top each with a portion of croutons, some parsley, and a drizzle of the dressing.
3. To Make the Garlic Croutons: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
4. Use a sharp knife to cut off the top quarter of the garlic bulb. Place it in the middle of a square of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around the garlic. Drizzle the garlic with 2 tablespoons of the oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Gather the foil into a packet, leaving a small chimney vent at the top. Roast the garlic for 30 minutes, then check to see if all the cloves are tender. Use a fork to remove each clove or cool the bulb slightly and squeeze from the bottom to remove all the cloves at once. Leave the oven on.
5. In a large bowl, mash half of the roasted garlic with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and a pinch of sea salt. (You can use the remaining roasted garlic in the Vegan Caesar Dressing--2 roasted cloves for every 1 clove--or use it to flavor toast, purees, soup, and so on.)
6. Toss the bread in the oil and garlic mixture to coat all sides. Spread the bread in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, tossing periodically, until all sides are golden brown. Set the tray aside to cool the croutons.
7. To Make the Vegan Caesar Dressing: Combine the garlic, lemon juice, capers, mustard, Worcestershire sauce (if using), sunflower seeds, almonds, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and sugar (if using) in a blender or food processor and blend on high until well combined. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the oil and blend until cream: the nuts and seeds will remain slightly grainy to give the dressing texture. Refrigerate the dressing, covered, for 40 minutes. Blend again, and if needed, mix in 1/4 to 1/3 cup water, to reach the desired consistency.

Let me know if you try this one - I really think you will enjoy it.

As far as the rest of the weekend is concerned, as you know, it's Mother's Day this Sunday.  Not sure if you have any plans, but, I came across this fun article in Your AAA Daily:

A Road Trip With Mom: Mother’s Day Road Trips for All Ages

Me and my girls on our Christmas 2018 trip to Dominican Republic (c) travelincousinscom

​Mother’s Day doesn’t have to be about breakfast in bed and lounging around the house. What better way to spend time with the mom on your list than with a road trip? Well, OK, breakfast in bed and then a road trip. This collection of local sites and attractions will help you plan the perfect Mother’s Day sojourn. read more...

​Well guys,  that's a wrap for today!
More tomorrow!

-Travelin' Elisa
xoxo