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Champagne Vinaigrette
5 from 6 votes

Champagne Vinaigrette Salad

It’s the champagne vinaigrette that sets this salad apart. Top with homemade croutons, Parmesan, toasted cashews, and chickpeas.
Prep Time20 minutes
Total Time23 minutes
Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the champagne vinaigrette:

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pinch of pepper
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 ½ Tbsp Vegenaise
  • 2 Tbsp champagne vinegar

For the homemade croutons:

  • 3 cups cubed ciabatta bread, about 3/4 inch cubes
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp onion salt

Everything else:

  • 9 oz lettuce, I recommend green leaf, such as Pete’s Nice and Crunchy
  • ½ cup cashew pieces, pine nuts would also be delicious
  • ½ cup Parmesan, freshly grated
  • 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained

Instructions

Make the vinaigrette

  • Add all the dressing ingredients to a small mixing bowl. Whisk until everything comes together and emulsifies. The vinaigrette is done.
  • Note: if the vinaigrette separates as it sits, simply whisk everything together again.

Make the croutons

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Toss the cubed ciabatta bread, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and olive oil together in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
  • Spread the coated ciabatta cubes out on a baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes.
  • Take the baking sheet out of the oven, and toss the croutons with a spatula. Let them cool for 3 minutes, then taste one.
  • If the crouton is not crisp enough, bake the croutons for an additional 3 minutes. If you like the texture as is, the croutons are done. Baking time will vary based on the bread used.

Toast the cashews

  • Put the cashews in a skillet over medium heat, and toast for 5 minutes, until the cashews are lightly browned. Shake the skillet occasionally to keep the nuts from burning.

Compile the salad and serve

  • Compile individual salads with greens, dressing, croutons, chickpeas, Parmesan, and toasted cashews to taste.
  • Or, make one big salad. Use 9 oz of green leaf lettuce, all of the chickpeas, all of the croutons, all of the Parmesan, all of the cashews, and 3/4 - all of the dressing. Just toss everything together in a large bowl and serve.

Notes

I prefer to use Pete’s Nice and Crunchy Green Leaf Lettuce in this salad.
This salad is vegetarian.
This salad is vegan if you omit the Parmesan.
This salad is gluten-free if you omit the croutons, or make them with gluten-free bread.