I am besotted with the vegan caesar at Lodge Bread in Culver City. Lodge is always my first stop when Im visiting my parents, and I miss the salad almost as much as I miss them when I leave L.A. Im not exaggerating when I say that I would eat this salad every day if I could. How do they build such a well balanced and addictive salad?

Lex G, Oakland

Classic Caesar salads rely on the umami punch of Parmesan and anchovies and on the fattiness of eggs for a creamy dressing. This totally plant-based version blends nutritional yeast with miso and tahini to make it as delicious as the original and combines lemon juice and cider vinegar to balance the richness. And as with the standard, raw garlic brightens the mix with its sharpness.

Although the dressing comes together in minutes, it gets even better after a day or two in the fridge. In that chill time, the flavors meld and umami deepens into a truer Caesar. Because this mix is vegan, it keeps well in the fridge for a whole week.

At Lodge, the romaine comes speckled with parsley and dill. The herbs add a nice, fresh bite, but skip them if you prefer a typical Caesar. And if youre OK with cheese, swap the final sprinkle of nutritional yeast for Parmesan shavings. Just dont skimp on the cracked black pepper at the end. Those pops of heat tie everything together.

15 minutes. Serves 8.

The proportions below make one cup of dressing. You can use it all at once with the amounts of lettuce and croutons below for eight generous salad servings or divvy it up as you want. A quarter cup will coat the chopped leaves of one romaine heart nicely.

Ingredients

Instructions

Make ahead: The dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Adapted from Lodge Bread.

45 minutes. Makes as much as you want.

Homemade croutons taste way better than store-bought. They take time to bake but little effort to put together. And they dont require exact measurements: crisp up as many or as few as youd like and adjust the other quantities as needed. The timing depends largely on the bread and your crunch preference. Heres how to do it.

Ingredients

Instructions

Make ahead: The croutons will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

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Excerpt from:

The Lodge Bread vegan caesar salad recipe is fast and easy - Los Angeles Times