Southwestern Caesar Salad

I created this recipe for my upcoming dinner at the Natural Gourmet, where each Friday Night Dinner must be mostly vegan. Classic Caesar Salads are one of my favorite foods so I was hesitant to mess with a beautiful thing. However, this dressing really imitates the original well and has all sorts of good-for-you things in it like miso and umeboshi paste. The lime and cumin give it a little Southwestern kick.

Southwestern Caesar Salad

Dressing:
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons umeboshi paste
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoon light miso
¼ pound silken tofu
1 cup olive oil

Croutons:
2 cups ww sourdough bread, preferably day-old, cut into ½ inch cubes (remove crust)
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (with 2 smashed garlic cloves soaked in it for an hour)
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon ancho chile powder
½ teaspoon sea salt

2 heads of romaine lettuce

Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To make the croutons, toss the bread cubes, olive oil, then toss with spice and salt mixture. Spread the cubes on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven until light brown and crunchy. Cool.
2. Discard any tough or bruised outer leaves of the lettuce and wash in cold water. Spin it dry and chill in the refrigerator.
3. To make the dressing, combine all ingredients except for oil in a food processor and blend until creamy. Gradually add the oils and blend until fully emulsified.
4. Toss the romaine with an amount of dressing to taste, then sprinkle with croutons and serve.