Healthy Vegan High Protein Caesar

Happy Healthy Foods
Written By lauren martin

Make your favorite Mac and cheese with hidden veggies with this quick, easy and inexpensive recipe. Want to make any comfort food, snack or dessert healthy for you or your little one? Hide veggies in your or your kid’s favorite foods with easy, healthy swaps and add-ins. Browse my Hidden Veggie Recipe Cookbook.

You and your pickiest eater can eat more veggies without trying to change your diet. You never have to buy, prep, serve, clean or throw away unwanted food ever again.

Read below and browse my Hidden Veggie Recipe Cookbook for kid-friendly comfort foods, snacks and sweet treats that contain hidden fruits, vegetables and protein. Every recipe is gluten-free, and can be made with dairy-free, sugar-free, nut-free and organic ingredients. I only share recipes with simple steps and ingredients that kids can help prepare in minutes. Add vitamins, minerals, fiber , antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory nutrients to any of your favorite foods.

Eat the Rainbow Starter Recipe

Doctors, nutritionists and social media “experts” tell us kids (and adults) must “eat the rainbow” every day. Steam, blend and freeze the veggies below and simply hide the thawed cubes in your favorite foods. See full "Starter Recipe" and my favorite hidden veggie recipes in my Hidden Veggie Recipe Cookbook.

  • Zucchini

  • Broccoli

  • Spinach

  • Green beans. (haricots verts)

  • Peas (for added protein)

  • Red and orange bell peppers

  • Orange and purple carrots

  • Beets (use in moderation to avoid altering flavor too drastically)

White Diet Starter Recipe

Is your kid averse to any foods with green, orange, red, purple, or anything not the color of bread? For the pickiest eaters, use my “white diet” hidden veggie mix to hide veggies without changing the color or flavor of common kid-favorite foods. My particular picky eater “white-diet” consists of bread, pasta, butter, eggs, turkey meatballs, chicken nuggets and chocolate protein "milkshakes." See full "Starter Recipe" and my favorite hidden veggie recipes in my Hidden Veggie Recipe Cookbook. The white vegetables below contain the same vitamin and antioxidant profile as their colorful counterparts in my “Eat the Rainbow” veggie mix.

  • Yellow peppers

  • White carrots

  • Yellow squash

  • Cauliflower

  • White string beans (haricots verts)

  • Golden beets (use in moderation to avoid altering flavor too drastically)

After you make the “Eat the Rainbow” and/or “White Diet” hidden veggie mix starter recipe and freeze the veggie purée in ice cube trays, simply microwave one or more hidden veggie cubes for 30 seconds each to mix into your child’s favorite foods. With just 30 extra seconds, you and your family can eat the rainbow every day.

Stir Cube(s) into Your Favorite Foods

  • Eggs (scrambled, omelet, frittata)

  • Protein "milkshake"

  • French Toast (add to egg/milk mix to dip bread)

  • Tuna fish

  • Chicken salad

  • Barbecue beef, chicken or pork

  • Shredded marinated chicken

  • Ground beef or turkey

  • Mashed potatoes

  • Mac and cheese

  • Buttered noodles

  • Tahini

  • Barbecue sauce

  • Teriyaki sauce

Spread a Thin Layer onto Your Favorite Foods

  • Quesadilla

  • Grilled cheese sandwich

  • Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

  • Cinnamon toast

  • Cream cheese bagel

Not-From-Scratch Baked Goods

Use your favorite baked good recipe or store-bought mix, and replace all of the water or milk and half of the oil or butter with puréed fruit. You can also microwave one or more hidden veggie cubes (page 3 – 5) for 30 seconds each, and mix them into the recipe. Use hidden veggie cubes sparingly to avoid changing the flavor too drastically. To freeze for later: Double or triple the recipe; Place on a flat surface to freeze; Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag; Re-heat in microwave or toaster oven as needed.

Choose a Baked Good Mix

  • Pancakes

  • Waffles

  • Muffins

  • Cornbread

  • Bread loaf or rolls

  • Brownies

  • Cookies

  • Cake

Choose a Brand

  • Simple Mills (gluten free)

  • Kodiak (added protein)

  • Miss Jones (keto and paleo)

  • Hungry Harry’s (allergen free)

  • Lakanto (sugar free)

Replace all water or milk and half oil or butter with fruit:

  • Applesauce

  • Mashed banana

  • Fruit pouch (any fruit and vegetable combination)

  • Canned pumpkin, butternut squash or sweet potato

  • Pureéd Cauliflower

Copyright © 2024 by Lauren Martin. All rights reserved. None of the information on this website may be used, reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For all permission requests, write to the author, addressed “Copyright Permissions,” at: Laurenmartinbooks@gmail.com. Lauren Martin’s Website is reader-supported. While I am not paid to promote specific products or brands, I do earn a small commission from Amazon when you click on affiliate links on my site and make a purchase. Therefore, every opinion and product recommendation on my site is completely unbiased, genuine and sincere, based on my personal experience and knowledge gained as a parent and educator.

Caesar Dressing Notes

I use this healthy, high protein, carb-free, oil-free, saturated fat-free, dairy-free, anchovy-free, vegan caesar dressing on salad, ANY veggie dish or as a dip.

My favorite use for this healthy caesar dressing is to use it on a kale or romaine salad or on a mixture of roast veggies. I usually roast frozen organic broccoli, mushrooms and bell peppers because frozen produce is cheaper and more nutrient dense than supermarket produce plus it requires zero washing/chopping or any other prep work. I also use the caesar dressing on roasted fresh, organic roasted diced tomatoes or grape tomatoes, purple cabbage and yellow or white onion. I often add canned steamed beets and olives and fresh raw fresh red onion after roasting. Roast veggies on baking sheets with olive oil on 425F for 15+ minutes until reach desired tenderness.

If you want to add a grain or starch, serve my hidden veggie biscuits from my Hidden Veggie Cookbook on the side. You can also add sautéed organic buckwheat groats or cooked organic sorghum or millet (both low-lectin, gluten-free, whole-grain, healthy, organic alternatives to rice, risotto, orzo pasta, quinoa, couscous, etc.).

Get an Amazon Grocery Delivery Subscription for FREE deliveries of fresh, organic ingredients from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods and other participating retailers. For just $9.99 a month, one order a month pays for itself. All of the Amazon Grocery Links in the notes and rec ice are the cheapest option per oz (most bang for your buck ;). I make this recipe 1-2 times a week to put on everything so its worth buying larger quantities of each ingredient since all of the ingredients have long shelf lives.

See optional salad and veggie dish bases for your dressing below and scroll down for caesar dressing recipe:

  • Salad Base

    • Kale (massage or repeatedly squeeze thoroughly with sea salt before tossing with dressing)

    • Romaine

    • Mixed greens

    • Arugala

    • Cabbage

  • Roasted Veggies

  • Spiralized Roasted or Sautéed Veggies

    • Carrots

    • Zuchinni

    • Beets

    • Potato

  • Steamed veggies

    • Asparagus

    • Green beans (haricots verts)

  • Microwaveable Veggies

  • Canned Veggies

  • Raw Veggies

    • Cucumber

    • Carrots

    • Bell Peppers

    • Grape Tomatoes

  • Healthy Gluten-Free, Low Calorie Crouton Alternative

    • Buckwheat Groats (sautéed in pan with olive oil until slightly brown and crispy)

  • Grain Bowl

Healthy Vegan Caesar Dressing Recipe

Ingredients

Directions

  • Put 1/2 cup raw cashews in a mug, glass liquid measuring cup or other container that can withstand boiling water.

  • Boil water and pour over cashews so they are covered with water.

  • Let cashews soak for at least 30 minutes on counter.

  • *If using immediately, prepare salad or veggie dish (see note above) that you will toss with dressing.

  • Blend remaining ingredients using:

  • Add softened, soaked cashews and blend.

  • Add more capers, caper water, salt, pepper, garlic or lemon juice to taste.

Want to make any comfort food, snack or dessert healthy for you or your little one? Hide veggies in your or your kid’s favorite foods with easy, healthy swaps and add-ins. Browse my Hidden Veggie Recipe Cookbook.

From my two-minute bread and cookie dough to my ten-minute chicken nuggets, biscuits, crackers, cookies and cakes, and hidden veggie Mac and cheese it is fun and easy for kids and adults to “eat the rainbow” every day. Say goodbye to meal prep stress. You can feel good about eating and feeding your family healthy, unprocessed, comfort food, snacks and sweet treats that contain hidden fruits, veggies and nutrient-dense whole ingredients - start with my hidden veggie oat biscuits to serve with your healthy vegan Caesar salad and try my Hidden Veggie Cookbook for more secretly healthy kids recipes.

lauren martin
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