Made with tasty spring veggies, this Cobb salad with lemon pepper tahini ranch dressing is an amazing start for the produce abundance just around the corner.
Spring is here so let’s make a spring salad. And this vegan Cobb salad with lemon pepper tahini ranch is zippy, filling, and a great addition for the Easter dinner table.
I remember my grandma making something fresh and fun to go along with ham balls and her homemade rolls that filled every baking tray she has. She would make this 7 layered salad at the time and I would hate it at a young age, but have grown to appreciate it over the many Easters at her house.
I wanted to do the same. And as much as I love that 7 layered salad, veganizing it did not sound that fun because of all the mayo on top used as the dressing. So I did the next best layered salad and made a vegan cobb.
I have always loved a Cobb salad. Traditionally, an American Cobb salad comes with bacon, avocado, chicken, tomato, egg, chives, all laid either on a bed of either romaine, boston, frisee, and watercress.
For this recipe I substituted the chicken with vegan chicken and the bacon with a tempeh bacon. I also created a lemon pepper tahini ranch to tie all the spring flavors together.
What is Tahini?
Tahini is a sesame paste you can find in the isle with peanut butter. It’s very earthy and it is found often in Middle Eastern cooking and Mediterranean cooking. It has become a classic pantry staple for me because of how versatile and tasty it is.
When you mix tahini and lemon juice together, tahini turns into this flavorful base for cream vegan dressings. I use it in caesar, ranch, or any vinaigrettes that need a creamier base.
If you find your tahini and lemon base thickening too much, just add some water 1 tablespoon at a time to make it a more flowey consistency.
How did you make the vegan chicken?
I made my vegan chicken and it honestly is one of the best things I have created. I used marinated soy curls to mimic the chicken and then seasoned them with a ton of spices and herbs. If you are soy free or don’t want this salad to be vegan, you can simply sub it with chicken breast or a pea protein vegan chicken. Even Gardein chicken would be a good sub as well.
With everything that is vegan on this salad you can simply swap it out or not use them at all. This salad, even though is vegan forward, is a choose your own adventure really.
I hope you enjoy this Vegan Cobb Salad recipe! This salad is such a good time and I enjoyed making it for y’all. If you make this you can leave a comment, or tag me on instagram with @kitchen_cliffnotes or using the hashtag #kitchencliffnotes or #kitchencliffnotesrecipes. Until then, I will see you next week for a better posting schedule.
Vegan Cobb Salad with Lemon Pepper Tahini Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
Vegan Soy Curl Chicken
- 2 cups Butler Soy Curls
- 1 tbsp Vegan chicken Bullion
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander
- 1 tsp Herb De Provance
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp White Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Ground Sage
- 1/2 tsp Celery Salt
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Granulated Sugar
Salad Assembly
- 1 head Romaine chopped
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes halved
- 1 cup Asparagus chopped and blanched
- 1 cup Hot House Cucumber sliced into half moons
- 1/2 cup Red Onion chopped
- 1/2 cup Avocado thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup Quinoa cooked and cooled
- 1 cup Soy Curl Chicken
- 1/2 cup Vegan Bacon
- 1/2 cup Vegan Cheese
Lemon Pepper Tahini Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 cup Lemon Juice
- 1/2 cup Tahini
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp White Miso
- 1 tsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tbsp Lemon Zest
Instructions
To Make Vegan Soy Curl Chicken
- To make the vegan soy curl chicken, start by rehydrating your 2 cups of soy curls with 2 cups of boiling water and 1 tbsp of vegan chicken bullion. Let soak for 10 minutes.
- Once your soy curls have soaked and the water cooled, take your soy curls and ring out as much liquid as possible. All the excess water will hinder the cripsing of the soy curls in the pan when you cook them.
- To a medium bowl add your 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp herb de provance, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp white pepper, 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, and 1 tbsp granulate sugar. Mix until combined. Toss in your soy curl pieces until evenly coated in spice mixture.
- With a saucepan on medium high heat, add a little bit of olive oil to the pan. In small batches cook the vegan chicken until slight browning appears on both sides. Place in a bowl and set aside until cool and ready to assemble the salad.
To Assemble the Salad
- To assemble the salad, start by washing your produce and letting dry. Start by making a bed of chopped romaine. In no particular order, add your 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 cup hot house cucumber, 1 cup blanched asparagus, 1/2 cup red onion, 1/2 cup avocado sliced, 1/4 cup quinoa, 1 cup vegan chicken, 1/2 cup vegan bacon, and 1/2 cup vegan cheese.
To Make the Lemon Pepper Tahini Dressing
- To make the lemon pepper tahini dressing, add your 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup tahini, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tbsp white miso paste, 1 tsp maple syrup, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning, 1/2 tsp onion powder, and zest from 1 lemon to a blender. Blend until a creamy dressing comes together. If the mixture is too thick just add 1 tbsp of water at a time until the right consistency.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and mix until well combined. Serve in a jar or pour over the salad and toss before serving.
