Do you love blue cheese? Big meaty steak salads? What about Caesar salad? If you answered yes, then I’ve got the perfect mash up recipe for you. This Vegan Black & Blue Steak Caesar Salad is perfect! It has been on our menu on repeat lately! It’s crispy and crunchy, so flavorful, cheesy, slightly spicy and peppery then tossed in the creamiest Caesar Dressing. This is one of my all-time favorite salads!
Cooking With Soy Curls
Soy curls are boiled and dehydrated soybeans. They are minimally processed and contain only the soybean. If you’re looking for a healthier option for a meat substitute, this is it. Not only that but they are easy to cook with, versatile and so delicious.
For this Black & Blue Vegan Steak Caesar Salad I’m going for a meaty, beefy peppery soy curl. To achieve that I re-hydrate the soy curls in a mixture of vegan beef broth, tamari and vegan Worcestershire sauce. After marinating the soy curls, squeeze as much of the liquid as you can out of them before adding to a hot pan. This will result in a nice crispy sear. Season with McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning, this isn’t a traditional ‘blackening’ seasoning but it is one of my favorite seasonings and really helps to accentuate that steak flavor in this salad. I also like to reserve some of the hydrating liquid to pour over the soy curls as they are cooking, which adds not only flavor but also color to the soy curls.
For this recipe I make a whole 8oz package of soy curls, this will come out to about a pound and a half once re-hydrated and cooked. I feed a large family and we like to use the left over cooked soy curls for lunches throughout the week (hello wraps & quesadillas). If you don’t want to cook the whole bag, the soy curl recipe is easily adjusted by reducing the marinade amounts.
The Best Vegan Cheese For Your Salad
Vegan food has come a long way in just a few short years. Before becoming vegan I first started reducing my meat and dairy. That was just 5 years ago and the landscape was completely different. The saying “anything you can make, I can make Vegan” has never been more true. Up until earlier this year I said the only non-Vegan foods that I missed were blue cheese crumbles and raw oysters. Then Follow Your Heart made the magic that is their Blue Cheese Crumbles. It’s been months and I still can not get enough. Currently I’m only able to find them at my local Whole Foods so I buy a few at a time to keep on hand. You can head to their website to find out where you can find this gem near you.
Adding Blue Cheese crumbles to this salad is a delicious twist on a classic Caesar salad.
Assembling The Black & Blue Vegan Steak Caesar Salad
The main ingredients in this salad are the soy curls, cheeses, croutons & dressing. I also add tomatoes and thinly sliced red onions. We loves red onions but they can have a bite, so if you want a more mild flavor soak them in cool water for a few minutes to mute some of that sharpness. Adding vegan bacon bits or avocado would also be great options.
I haven’t included measurements for the salad add-ins. Like most salads, you should add as much or as little as suits your taste.
Vegan Black & Blue Steak Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Vegan Beef Bouillon + water to cover soy curls Better than Bouillon is my preferred brand, however any will work. You can use vegetable broth as well.
- 2 Tbsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
- ยผ Cup Tamari
- 8 oz Soy Curls
- Olive Oil Just a splash for cooking
- 1 Tbsp McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
- 1 Head Romaine Lettuce Chopped
- Cheesy Vegan Croutons
- Vegan Blue Cheese Crumbles
- Vegan Parmesan
- Cherry Tomatoes Quartered
- Red Onions Thinly sliced
- Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing
- Vegan Bacon Bit (optional)
- Avocado (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix bouillon, Worcestershire & tamari with 3 cups water
- Add soy curls. Add additional water to cover curls if needed.
- Marinate soy curls for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally
- While soy curls are marinating prepare croutons and salad dressing if they are not already made.
- When soy curls have finished marinating, heat a skillet over medium heat
- Once pan is hot add cooking oil to pan and allow oil to heat up
- Squeeze as much of the moisture out of the soy curls as possible (reserving some of the marinating liquid) and sear in pan
- Season with steak seasoning and a few splashes of the reserved marinating liquid
- Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until soy curls are starting to crisp up
- Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary
- While soy curls are cooking chop lettuce, slice tomatoes and onions*
- Assemble your salad in a large bowl adding all of your ingredients and tossing gently
- Serve immediately*
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