[vegan] Buffalo Chickpea Caesar Salad Wrap

Jump to Recipe

When I was younger, I went through a Caesar wrap phase. My mother worked long hours, sometimes holding down two and three jobs at a time - so naturally, I learned to cook. On the nights I didn't prepare full meals for my mother and I, I would treat myself to a delicious Caesar salad wrap. I'd get a wrap, sauté some chicken in water (I tried to be low oil) and then add some fat-free Caesar dressing and simmer. Then I'd heat up my wrap on a frying pan with a slice of white American cheese, throw on my chicken and lettuce and BAM I was set. This was my favorite dinner. I'm not too sure what in my mind was so appealing about this, but I have recently had a hankering to relive my love for Caesar salad wraps. Now that I'm vegan, I made quite a few adjustments.

The Swaps

The first swap in this recipe is chicken for chickpeas! I have never been a huge fan of chickpeas (texture-thing), but I've now developed a bond with them and I'm just going to let it play out! So, to make these chickpeas a little more appealing in texture, I bake them with oil and a variety of spices to make them nice and firm. They almost get a "potato-y" texture and it just works. The next swap is that terrible "fat-free" Caesar dressing for home-made, vegan Caesar dressing, which you can find here. This dressing is a life-saver! Every Sunday, I make two batches and store it in mason jars in the fridge, this makes packing lunches for Rob and myself so much simpler! Now, lets talk about that white American cheese I used to put on the wrap as a teenager - yuck. I've ditched that concept all together and have replaced that flavor with [vegan] buffalo sauce. This adds a nice touch of heat and a depth of flavor. Surprisingly, the buffalo sauce, brings out the flavor of the Caesar dressing even more.

The Rest

Now that I've talked about the swaps, lets talk about the rest of the ingredient list. You can take away or add any veggies, that you'd like - I usually only put tomatoes, lettuce and pistachios on these, but adding raw bell peppers or a bit of diced celery would be delicious too! I also add in a handful of vegan croutons. These were hard to find! But after a lot of searching I've found that the Whole Foods "Seasoned" croutons and the Publix brand, Greenwise "Seasoned" croutons are vegan and very tasty! The spices were a little difficult to pin-point on measurements. Like the infamous Tabitha Brown, I tend to cook from my spirit and I don't tend to measure - therefore the spice measurements below are just a guideline and are meant to be adjusted based on personal preference. For example, I'm a garlic lover, so I could probably entertain an additional 1/2-1 teaspoon full of additional garlic powder on the chickpeas, but just remember that these will later be tossed in buffalo and then added into a wrap with seasoned croutons and garlicky homemade Caesar dressing - you don't want to overdo it either.

Assembly

I am not the world's most gifted wrap ... wrapper. I struggle with this part of the process, if I'm being honest. But, just be sure that the wraps you are using are large and flexible enough to accommodate to the croutons (or you can crush them if that's your jam). I either use large spinach wraps or just plain burrito sized flour tortillas. After your chickpeas have baked and cooled off a bit, toss them in the buffalo sauce, and then toss your lettuce, tomatoes, croutons and pistachios with your dressing and place on the lower middle of your wrap. Add the coated chickpeas on top of the salad mixture. Wrap it all up, and if you're feeling fancy - seal the tortilla or wrap by placing it in a dry medium-hot pan and let it get a lil' toasty! These wraps are great to eat alone or serve with the remaining salad mixture, raw sliced veggies/fruit or some home-made baked potato wedges!

---

[vegan] Buffalo Chickpea Caesar Salad Wrap

Ingredients (2 wraps):

• 1 can (15.5 oz) of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 1 C. Romain Lettuce

• 1/2 C. Cherry Tomatos

• Handful of Pistachios

• Handful Vegan croutons

• 1/4 C. Vegan Buffalo Sauce

• Vegan wraps (2)

• 1-2 T. Vegan Caesar

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

• Spices (to taste):

  • 1 tsp. Garlic Powder

  • 1 tsp. Onion Powder

  • 1 tsp. Paprika

  • 1 tsp. Nutritional Yeast

  • 1/2 tsp. Pepper

  • Pinch of salt

Procedures:

1. Drain and rinse your chickpeas. Add them to a mixing bowl and combine with the spices (garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper) and olive oil. Mix them together and pour onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, shaking the tray every few minutes.

2. Chop your romaine into bite size pieces and halve your tomatoes. Combine your lettuce, tomatoes, pistachios, croutons and Caesar dressing in a small bowl and toss.

3. Remove your chickpeas from the oven and put them back into your mixing bowl. Pour the vegan buffalo sauce in with your chickpeas and stir.

4. Load your favorite vegan wrap with the salad mixture and chickpeas - wrap them up (feel free to toast them in an empty skillet for a golden brown seal) and enjoy!

These are great to serve with a side of fruit, excess Caesar salad or french-fries if you're not afraid of carboloading!

---

[vegan] Caesar Dressing

Ingredients:

• 24 fl oz vegan mayo

• 3 heaping tablespoons capers

• 1 tablespoon caper juice

• juice of 1 lemon

• 1.5 teaspoons black pepper

• 2-3 cloves garlic

• 1 teaspoons garlic powder

• 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast

• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

Procedures:

1. Add all ingredients to a blender or magic bullet (you might have to do it in batches if your blending cup is small). Blend on high until all capers and spices have been dispersed evenly.

2. Stir and pour into mason jar. Store in fridge for up to a week. Enjoy on wraps, salads, or a a veggie dip!