Is anyone still cooking? Lately, we’ve been so exhausted by the time dinner rolls around that we’re either eating something chilled, ordering out, or doing “charcuterie boards” (aka: raiding the fridge and pantry, throwing everything on a platter and calling it good).

It’s hot, everyone is home all day, and easy is the name of the game. Good news, this kale Caesar salad with spicy roasted chickpeas is exactly what you’re looking for when it comes to easy 30 minute recipes this summer. Now that everyone seems to be growing greens in their backyards these days, you might even just have your kale an arms distance away. Just waiting for the perfect recipe to harvest, wash and serve. 

With this one post you actually get 3 easy summer recipes:

1. How to make the perfect spicy roasted chickpeas
2. How to make a delicious vegan Caesar salad dressing
3. And putting them all together for a crispy, crunchy fresh salad with a little zing.

Vegan Caesar Salad w/ Kale & Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

A quick and easy vegan and gluten free recipe ready in 30 minutes or less, perfect for summer!

Looking for more vegan and gluten free chickpea recipes? See them HERE

Serves: 2 as a meal, or 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

For the 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)

For the 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

How to make the spicy roasted chickpeas and kale Caesar salad:

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
2. To prepare the Roasted Chickpeas: toss chickpeas with olive oil and seasonings of your choice in a bowl, and pour them onto a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange chickpeas into a single layer, making sure there is space between to ensure even baking. Bake until crisp, about 25 minutes.
3. To prepare the vegan caesar dressing: stir together vegan mayo/tahini, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, smashed capers, caper juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Stir until smooth. *Tip: I always taste test my vegan caesar dressing just to make sure it’s properly seasoned.
4. To assemble the salad: remove stems from the kale leaves and use either your hands to tear or a sharp knife to cut the kale into small pieces. When using a knife, I like to julienne my kale, similar to how you would cut basil.
5. Toss kale leaves with the vegan caesar dressing. *Tip: I like to toss the dressing with the salad alone. That way I know all the kale is properly coated so you get the flavor in every bite. 
6. As the chickpeas are done roasting, let cool for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the toasted chickpeas generously over the kale salad and serve.

Tips, Tricks, + Notes:

Got leftovers? Highly doubtful, ha. BUT if you do have any leftovers, they can be stored separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you’re looking to meal plan or meal prep ahead of time for lunches and dinners, consider doubling the recipe.

My biggest tip for meal prepping is to store this kale salad with roasted chickpeas in 3 parts – the clean and dry chopped kale, the roasted chickpeas, and the dressing. The day of, feel free to add the dressing to the chopped kale, but I would recommend keeping the roasted chickpeas separate until serving. Doing this ensures that your chickpeas will still be crispy!