Kohlrabi Caesar
I recently had a kohlrabi Caesar at a cute little restaurant in my town, with very well-considered veggie dishes on their menu (my favorite kind!). I thought it was such a clever idea to use kohlrabi in place of lettuce, and the salad was absolutely delicious. The very next day, I spotted some beautiful kohlrabi at the farmers market and knew I had to recreate the Caesar at home. The result was so good, I wanted to share it with you.
Kohlrabi was not a vegetable that made it into my shopping basket very often up until now, and I suspect that might be the case for many other people. But I think that this alien looking vegetable deserves more attention. It’s versatile, can be eaten raw or cooked, and I’ve seen it be in season in the spring as well as the fall. The greens are edible (best enjoyed cooked, in my opinion), and beyond the tough skin is a really tender center. Kohlrabi is also a cruciferous vegetable, like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower - all nutritional powerhouses.
For this salad, we thinly shave kohlrabi and dress it with a lush and assertive Caesar dressing, with hemp hearts at its base. This dressing makes anything it touches taste a million times better, so the recipe makes extra. We make some thin, delicate croutons to mirror the thin slices of kohlrabi, and garnish everything with herbs. So simple!
Kohlrabi Caesar
serves 2-4
1/4 cup hemp hearts
juice from 1 lemon
1-2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white miso
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon capers
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 medium kohlrabi, greens trimmed, tough outer skin peeled
3-4 very thin slices of good bread, like a sourdough
parsley or chives, for garnishing
In a high-speed upright blender, combine the hemp hearts, lemon, garlic, olive oil, miso, mustard, capers, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper to taste. Add 1/2 cup water and blend until very smooth and creamy. Taste for salt and pepper, adjust if needed. Transfer the dressing to a jar with a lid and refrigerate until ready to serve. This recipe makes extra dressing.
Thinly shave the kohlrabi using a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife, add to a serving bowl. Tear the bread into crouton-sized pieces and toast in a toaster oven until crispy. Add some dressing to the bowl with the shaved kohlrabi, and mix it in. Keep adding the dressing, until the kohlrabi is nicely coated. Serve the kohlrabi Caesar, garnished with the croutons and parsley or chives.
Intuitive Cooking Takeaways
Pretty much any vegetable that does well when thinly shaved and raw can be used in place of kohlrabi in this salad. Think fennel, salad turnips, even cabbage (or a mix!). Romaine lettuce would be delicious too, for a more classic take on the Caesar salad.
As illustrated by this Caesar dressing, hemp hearts blended with water make for a creamy mixture, since the hemp hearts are high in fat. This is the same exact method that’s used for making nut milk, when nuts are blended with water to make milk. So any time you’re in need of a thickener for a sauce or dressing, consider adding some hemp hearts to achieve that smooth consistency.
And here’s my favorite hemp milk recipe: 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons hemp hearts, blend on high until smooth, and keep refrigerated. I have this milk in my matcha every morning.