Caesar Salad with Crispy Feta Artichoke Hearts
As a California native, my adoration for artichokes is practically written in my DNA. Fun fact, The majority of all artichokes grown in the U.S. are grown in California. If you’re a fellow fan of artichokes, like me, you’re in for a treat! And if you’re not yet on the artichoke bandwagon, get ready to be converted.
Like everything on this blog, we’re keeping it vegan & gluten-free -friendly by using plant-based feta, gf breadcrumbs, and chickpea liquid as a binding agent for the artichoke coating. I used canned artichoke hearts for ease and convenience and chopped them length-wise in half. Remember to gently press out excess water using a paper towel before proceeding with the dredging so that the coating sticks nicely to each artichoke heart.
Caesar Salad with Crispy Feta Artichoke Hearts
Ingredients
Artichoke Hearts
- 1 can whole artichoke hearts pressed to drain liquid and cut length-wise
- 1 can aquafaba save the chickpeas for topping
- 1/2 cup gluten-free bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup vegan feta crumbled
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Caesar Dressing
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 lemons juiced
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- onion powder to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Caesar Salad
- 2 cups butter lettuce
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 1/4 cup vegan feta crumbled
- 1 large avocado cubed
- 1 can chickpeas air-fried
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- paprika, garlic powder, and salt to taste
Instructions
- Set up your dredging station. Pour flour into the first mixing bowl, combine gluten-free bread crumbs and vegan feta in a second mixing bowl, and pour aquafaba into a third mixing bowl. Whisk the aquafaba to create an egg-like texture.
- Pat artichoke hearts dry with paper towel then cut in half, length-wise. One by one, toss artichoke heart in flour, dip in aquafaba, letting the excess drip off, then roll in the breadcrumb mixture. Repeat until all hearts are done then place in air-fryer and drizzle over olive oil. Air-fry or Broil at 400F for 7-minutes, toss or shake basket, then fry an additional 7-minutes. Set aside once done.
- While artichoke hearts are cooking, add all caesar dressing ingredients to a blender, slowly adding in the water little by little to reach desired consistency. Taste as you go to adjust seasoning where needed.
- Pat chickpeas dry with paper towel. In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, paprika, garlic, and salt then cook at 400F for 15-minutes in air-fryer or oven.
- To assemble the salad, toss butter lettuce and shredded cabbage together in a mixing bowl. Add avocado cubes, vegan feta crumbles, crispy chickpeas, and crispy artichoke hearts. Pour over caesar dressing then toss. Ready to serve!
