Sunday, February 17, 2019

Vegan Sweet Potato Fries

Avocado Kale Caesar Salad! Kale, avocado, and crunchy seeds drenched in a quick creamy avocado caesar dressing that can easily be made vegan, too. Toss some crispy sweet potato fries in are you are SET FOR LIFE.


Ingredients:

Avocado Caesar Dressing:

  • 1 avocado, divided
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise (optional – see notes)
  • 2 small cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Kale Caesar Salad:

  • 1 bunch kale, stems removed, chopped (5-6 cups)
  • Parmesan and/or pepitas for topping


Instructions:


  1. Cut the avocado in half. Reserve one half for the salad. Blend the other half with the water, mayo, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon, and salt. Taste and adjust!
  2. Toss the chopped kale with the dressing. Throw in a handful of pepitas and Parmesan and toss it all around. Finish the salad with the remaining half of the avocado, cut into cubes. YUM!


NOTES:

  • Sweet Potato Fries (do this first, because the salad doesn’t take long): Preheat oven to 450 degrees with the pan in the oven so it gets hot. Peel 4 sweet potatoes and cut into fry-shapes. The thinner they are, the more crispy they’ll get. Toss with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Remove hot pan from oven, arrange fries evenly, and bake for 20 minutes. Turn and bake for another 10 minutes or so until crispy.
  • How to make this vegan: Leave out the Parm and sub vegan mayo.
  • Thoughts on mayo: I found mayonnaise to be the right ingredient to add creaminess and flavor to the dressing. If you really don’t want to use mayo, you could sub Greek yogurt (more tangy flavor), or just leave it out altogether with the consequence of a more watery but still delicious dressing.
  • Thoughts on anchovies: Traditionally, Caesar salad is made with anchovies – paste, oil, or whole. I don’t normally keep anchovies on hand and I thought the dressing tasted great without them, so that’s why you don’t see them included them in this recipe.


Source: pinchofyum.com