Guys, this salad is going to rock your socks something special!
It’s zesty, creamy, and onion-y & garlic-y with so much texture and flavour… it’s a good idea to make this the main and serve something else on the side, because you’re going to want a lot of it!
I love to use any gluten-free cracker I’ve got at home as my crunchy crouton topping.. here are some great ideas and brands to try:
- savoury seed crackers or artisan crisps from my e-cookbook
- any of the rice crackers from Edward and Sons – their black sesame is my favourite
- any of the Mary’s gluten free crackers (original is pictured here)
- any of the RW Garcia crackers (sweet potato are my favourite)
Dressing makes about 2 cups = 16 servings at 2 tbsp each
Catalina Dressing ingredients:
- 1 small onion or ½ large onion
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- ⅓ cup raw sugar or coconut sugar
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (or make your own, see * note below)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp celery seed
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp Italian herbs
- ½ tsp sea or Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1. Using a food processor, chop the onion into a fine dice.
2. Add the remaining ingredients except for the olive oil… [tomato paste, ketchup, sugar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, celery seed, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian herbs, salt, pepper]. Blend together into a thick sauce.
3. With the lid on the food processor, pour a bit of the oil in, start blending, and slowly pour the rest of the oil in so the dressing can emulsify and blend together.
4. Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Use about 2 tbsp of dressing per serving of salad – or more or less to your heart’s content!
* Note: I use this Martha Stewart recipe – please substitute the soy sauce with tamari for gluten-free, or with coconut aminos if avoiding soy.
Salad Serves 2
Salad Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw spinach
- 2 cups mixed greens
- ½ cup cucumber, diced
- 4 tbsp toasted sliced almonds
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds
- sprinkle of hand-cracked crackers, as desired
- sprinkle of vegan Parmesan, optional
1. In a large bowl, toss spinach and greens together.
2. When ready to serve, toss the spinach and greens in about 4 tbsp of dressing. Divide equally between two bowls.
3. Top each salad with an equal portion of the toasted sliced almonds and hemp seeds.
4. Use your hands to break up some crackers into bite-size pieces. I typically use about 5 or 6 crackers per salad, but I know Matt likes a few more than that.
5. I can’t recommend the sprinkle of vegan parm enough – yum!
6. Enjoy immediately.
xo
