Caesar

These tofu Caesar wraps are great for packed lunches or picnics. You can prep the ingredients the day before and combine and wrap up in the morning to take with you wherever you go.

Alternatively, you can skip the wrap and just make a big bowl of Caesar salad with the tempeh or tofu and add any other salad ingredients you like. It’s great for family dinners and barbecues too.

Even kids will enjoy the Caesar dressing to dip veggies into as an alternative to hummus!

I use a mix of nuts and seeds in the Caesar dressing to reduce some of the fat content and cashews can be expensive in some places so I only use them in small quantities. Use whatever you have if necessary. Any mild nut or seed like cashews, sunflower, sesame (or tahini paste) or pinenuts can be used.

To get some umami and fishy taste into the Caesar dressing I use a mix of miso paste and seaweed flakes/granules. The roasted garlic gives a really wonderful flavor, but in a pinch you can use raw garlic as well.

I just go these cute lunch box bentos to try out and was looking for something that could easily fit inside.

These bento box containers come with 2 sections and a lid and elastic to hold them together. I just thought they were a cute idea to carry lunches in and wanted to share them with you. You can absolutely use plastic or glass containers or use reuseable protective wrap to cover them in.

I make this dressing ahead of time so I can add it to salads or wraps as needed. You can use tempeh or tofu or both to fill out the wraps as well

Roasted Garlic Vegan Caesar Dressing 

• 1/2 cup raw cashews (soak overnight and drain if you don’t have a high powered blender)
• 1 bulb roasted garlic  (recipe here)
• 4 tbsp lemon juice 
• 2 small pitted dates (soak overnight and drain if you don’t have a high powered blender) 
• 2 tsp miso paste (mild yellow or brown) 
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 3/4 tsp seaweed flakes or crushed nori flakes
• Fresh ground pepper 
• 2/3 cup filtered water 

Directions: 

1. Place ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add a little more water as needed. (As this is oil free it’s best that it’s thick and not too watery so it coats lettuce leaves better.)  
2. Taste test and adjust for salt, pepper and tanginess as needed.
3. Cover and refrigerate up to 5 days in the fridge.

Vegan Tempeh Bacon Bits

• 1 package of plain tempeh
• 1/3 cup soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
• 2 tbsps maple syrup or sweetener of choice
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3/4 tsp liquid smoke
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

1. Slice the tempeh into strips and then cut the slices into small pieces.
2. In a container with a lid mix the marinade ingredients and add the tempeh and seal.
3. Toss to combine and refrigerate. It’s best marinated over night or up to 3 days. At least a few hours is required to get the best results.
4. Preheat 400F line a baking sheet with a non stick mat.
5. Drain out extra marinade from the container.
6. Spread out on baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.
7. Turn and bake another 3-5 minutes being sure they don’t burn.
8. Let cool and refrigerate up to 5 days.

Vegan Caesar Wraps

Ingredients:

• Package of large tortilla wraps
• Caesar dressing recipe above
• Tempeh Bacon recipe above
• 1 block of tofu baked or marinated and sliced. I marinated the cubes in vegan “chicken broth powder” mixed with water overnight and baked at 400 degrees on my convection oven (or use air fryer) for 25-30 minutes until dry and “crispy” *Optional
• Romaine lettuce, chopped or bagged salad of choice
• Cherry tomatoes sliced, or cucumber, diced

Assembly Directions:

1. In a bowl combine the salad ingredients, a few table spoons of dressing, tempeh and/or tofu together.
2. Toss to combine and check if you need more dressing.
3. Heat the tortilla wraps for 10-15 seconds in the microwave to soften.
4. Assemble the wraps by adding the caesar salad mixture in the bottom 1/3 of the wrap and fold the bottom up and over the filling. Fold the sides in over the middle and continuing rolling the tortilla upward as tightly as you can without the filling breaking out.
5. Slice the wraps if desired and serve.

Let me know what you think of this recipe and what your favourite lunch wraps are that you make!