Salad:

1. Prepare all salad ingredients as mentioned. Marinate sliced onions in salt and lemon juice. Keep all ingredients separate.

Vegan Cashew Caesar Dressing:

1. Drain soaked cashews.
2. In a blender, combine soaked cashews, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, capers, and garlic cloves.
3. Blend until creamy. Adjust salt, mustard, or lemon juice to taste.

Homemade Croutons:

1. Preheat air fryer to 400°F/200°C.
2. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, chopped thyme, garlic powder, and kosher salt.
3. Toss cubed bread in the olive oil mixture until evenly coated.
4. Air fry for 4 minutes, toss, then fry for another 2 minutes until golden and crisp.
5. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate.

Crunchy Air Fryer Tofu:

1. Press tofu to remove excess liquid.
2. Cut tofu into slices about ½ inch thick, then half diagonal.
3. Mix plant milk with lemon juice and let it curdle.
4. Combine the plant “buttermilk” with salt, white pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Marinate tofu in this mixture for at least 1 hour in the fridge. Overnight is better.
5. Crush cornflakes into coarse crumbs.
6. Mix flour with spices for dredge.
7. Set up a breading station with flour-spice dredge, remaining marinade, and crushed cornflakes.
8. Coat tofu slices in flour mixture, then marinade, and last crushed cornflakes.
9. Spray air fryer basket and tofu slices with oil.
10. Air fry tofu at 400°F/200°C for 15 minutes, flipping once after 10 minutes.

To Serve:

1. Arrange romaine lettuce on plates.
2. Top with grated carrots, sliced cabbage, sweetcorn, marinated onions, grapes (or olives), and croutons.
3. Drizzle with Vegan Cashew Caesar Dressing.
4. Add crispy air-fried tofu on top.
5. Serve additional dressing on the side for dipping or drizzling.
6. Enjoy your Vegetarian Caesar Salad with Crunchy Air Fryer Tofu!