[Meal Prep] Caesar Salad with Tofu Bacon
Plus: my free buffet meal at a jazz brunch in New Orleans
In this post:
Vegan food I ate in New Orleans, Louisiana
Meal prep recipe 1: Caesar dressing
Meal prep recipe 2: Tofu “bacon”
VEGAN FOOD I ATE IN NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA 🐊
I was in New Orleans this past week for a bachelorette. I was expecting to have trouble finding vegan food. But it was fine. I did have to sit there a few times while other girls on the trip ate beignets, but it really wasn’t so bad. Plus, another girl on the trip was vegan. It was nice to have a vegan friend!
Of course, the group didn’t eat just beignets. Here are some other restaurants we ate at, with my take on their vegan options:
Note: I didn’t organize the bachelorette, but the girls who did organize did a great job ensuring there would be vegan options everywhere!
Dinner at Carmo: A Tropical Cafe and Bar. Warehouse District, New Olreans, LA
The first night it was just me and the bride to be. She’s what one might call “plant based” (except she eats fish) so we went to Carmo: a vegan friendly restaurant around the corner from our hotel.
We shared a vegan ceviche, a noodle dish, and bean and rice dish (not pictured). It was exactly what I needed after the flight down from Toronto!
Jazz Brunch Buffet at The Court of Two Sisters: Vegans Eat Free!
The organizers of the bach. had called ahead and mentioned there were 2 vegans in the group. Upon our arrival, the waiter apologized and said that because the buffet didn’t have many vegan options, he would allow the vegans to eat free. Not a bad deal to me!
In the end the options were pretty good — I mostly ate salad with rice and beans. Sure, rice and bean salad is pretty sad, when everyone else is eating meat dishes whose names I forget or never knew in the first place. But I was happy to eat a lighter, healthier meal after so much partying.
Dinner at Arnaud’s: Classic Creole Cuisine In The Heart of the French Quarter
Our last meal in Nola was at Arnaud’s, which I was told was the fanciest restaurant in New Orleans. The waiter suggested the Stuffed Mirliton, which he said was “So good that even non-vegans order it.” My take? Non-vegans probably order it once, but never twice. It wasn’t great. Not worth $26.75. But hey, I wasn’t there to eat. I was there to celebrate the bride to be and I was happy I had anything at all to eat!
Stuffed Mirliton $26.75
Stuffed with squash and eggplant tapenade. Served with seasonal vegetables, field peas and Roasted Red Pepper Coulis
CAESAR SALAD MEAL PREP 🥗
Because I partied so much at the bachelorette, I’ve been eating a bit lighter this week. That’s just what I’ve been craving :) So this week I decided to meal prep the components of Caesar salad: the dressing, and tofu bacon.
Here’s how I plan to eat these two components:
Option 1: Caesar Salad or Caesar Salad Wrap
Put some lettuce in a bowl
Throw in some rice
Add some tofu bacon cubes
Pour on the Caesar dressing
Mix together and eat as a salad, or wrap in a tortilla to enjoy it as a wrap.
Option 2: Tofu Rice Bowl
Steam some gaai lan, or brocoli.
Put some rice in a bowl
Add some tofu bacon cubes for protein
Pour on some soya sauce
Add the gaai lan / brocoli on top
Eat!
MEAL PREP RECIPE 1: CAESAR DRESSING
Caesar Dressing (makes 2 cups)
Adapted from Hot For Food.
INGREDIENTS
8 cloves of garlic
3/4 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbps nutritional yeast
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
METHOD
Blend everything together. Seriously, that’s it. This is why I love this dressing.
Store in a jar in the fridge for up to week.
MEAL PREP RECIPE 2: TOFU BACON
I made 4 batches of this.
Tofu “Bacon”
INGREDIENTS
1 package firm tofu
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp hot water
2 tbsp dark soya sauce (use 3 tbsp if using regular soya sauce)
1 tbsp paprika , caynne pepper, or red pepper flakes
METHOD
Chop tofu into small cubes.
Dissolve brown sugar in hot water, mix everything else together.
Bake the tofu on a baking tray lined with parchment paper for 40 minutes at 400 degrees until crispy.
Store in the fridge for up to 1 week (but it never lasts that long).
BONUS RECIPE: Crispy "Chickpeas”
Bonus because this is the same thing as the tofu bacon, but instead of baking for 40 minutes, we’ll bake just for 20 minutes.
INGREDIENTS (Same as the tofu bacon)
1 can of chickpeas
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp hot water
2 tbsp dark soya sauce (use 3 tbsp if using regular soya sauce)
1 tbsp paprika , caynne pepper, or red pepper flakes
METHOD
Drain a can of chickpeas.
Dissolve brown sugar in hot water, mix everything else together.
Bake the tofu on a baking tray lined with parchment paper for 20 minutes at 400 degrees until crispy.
Store in the fridge for up to 1 week (but it never lasts that long).
And that’s it for this edition. Let me know what you think below 🥗👇