Café Gratitude Recipe: Kale Caesar Salad with Wakame and Brazil Nut Parmesan

Café Gratitude is a plant-based eatery based in California with several locations along the coast all the way from San Diego to Santa Cruz. The menu includes a selection of healthy vegan food like 'cheesy' nachos, a variety of refreshing salads, savory meals like Indian curry, and a collection of sweet treats, my favorite is the raw almond joy bar. But, no matter what you order, Café Gratitude elevates the experience of eating vegan food and mixes creativity with clean and healthy-for-you meals that everyone will love.

Today's recipe of the day comes straight from the Café Gratitude kitchen and onto your plate: Kale Cesar salad with wakame and Brazil nut parmesan. This delicious meal is highly nutritious and full of flavor. First, kale and romaine lettuces are leafy green vegetables packed with minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium, and more. In this dish, the lettuces are the base of the meal and add a crispy, refreshing crunch with every bite.

Wakame is an edible seaweed that not only adds incredible crunch to the dish but also brings out an umami flavor in the salad dressing with the combination of sweet, bitter, salty, and slightly sour tastes. Wakame is extremely healthy and loaded with essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay heart-healthy. The seaweed is associated with health benefits like lowering cholesterol, decreasing blood pressure, and reducing blood sugar, all of which help you maintain a healthy weight, and feel amazing. Wakame is an ingredient you don't want to miss out on, and with this salad recipe, you can enjoy all its health benefits, and delicious taste, for lunch or dinner.

This salad is topped with 'parmesan' like a traditional Cesar salad but this version is made with brazil nuts and is completely dairy-free. Brazil nuts are nutrient and energy-dense and contain essential minerals like zinc, which is crucial for building strong immunity. If you've never had brazil nut parmesan, the flakes have a thick, oily texture because the nut is fatty and much larger than an almond, or most nuts for that matter. When you make this at home, you will be surprised at how easy it is to resemble the flavors of cheese.

Aside from the three main ingredients, this salad is finished with garlic herb croutons made with sourdough, fresh herbs, and smoked sea salt. The ingredients also call for fresh avocados that adds a creamy consistency, salty capers, and a drizzle of cashew caesar dressing, you would have no idea this salad is vegan. You will want to make this recipe on repeat.

Kale Caesar Salad with Wakame and Brazil Nut Parmesan

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 loaf gluten-free sourdough bread of choice (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked sea salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 6 cups finely shredded kale
• 6 cups finely chopped romaine lettuce
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup cashew caesar dressing
• 2 tbsp capers in brinse, rinsed
• 2 tbsp dry wakame or hijiki seaweed, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes and drained
• 1 large avocado, cubes
• Gamasio
• Brazil Nut Parmesan

Instructions

1. Make the garlic herb croutons: Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a medium bowl, toss together the bread, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, garlic, salt and oregano. Some bread will absorb more oil than others; if the mixture is still dry, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and toss once again.
3. Spread the bread mixture over a baking sheet and bake for 7 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan frequently to shuffle around the bread so it crisps evenly. The croutons should be golden brown.
4. Serve: In a large bowl, toss together the kale and romaine along with the Caesar dressing. Add 1 tablespoon of the papers, half of the croutons and the rehydrated wakame o hijiki.
5. Transfer the salad to a serving dish. Garnish with the avocado, the remaining 1 tablespoon capers and croutons and a generous sprinkle of the gomasio and brazil nut parmesan.