A traditional Caesar salad is made up of romaine lettuce leaves, croutons, grated Parmesan, and a tangy dressing using raw egg. But there are many variations of this classic. It can easily be turned into a meal with additions like crumbled hard boiled egg and raw or roasted veggies.
For the greens, I use a large head of romaine lettuce and sometimes add in chopped Dino kale. Raw kale has a slightly bitter taste but slicing and chopping gets rid of it. Cut or rip the kale leaves off the stems and then cut the leaves into small ribbons and discard the stalks.
For grain-free croutons you can use any of my grain-free bread recipes sliced and cut up into cubes. I slice and cut cubes of cashew sandwich bread, lightly coat the cubes with olive oil and a pinch of salt and then bake (recipe below). Another options is to make Parmesan biscotti and break into smaller pieces or crush it a bit to get broken pieces and crumbs.
Topping ideas
Here are some ideas to make a hearty Caesar salad:
- hard boiled eggs
- blackened salmon
- blackened chicken
- tuna fish
- lentil pasta
- shaved or grated Parmesan cheese
- Parmesan croutons
- Parmesan Biscotti
- Parmesan crisps in Cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet
- lemon slices
Two dressings
I've been using a creamy tahini dressing as a plant-based Caesar alternative. If you're a purest or just prefer the raw egg version you can use my traditional Caesar dressing using anchovies or anchovy paste (both dressing recipes below). And in a pinch you can sub the anchovies with fish sauce if you have that around. Enjoy!
Casear Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large Romaine lettuce head or two small heads
- 4 servings grain-free croutons
- 8 servings creamy tahini dressing
Instructions
- Chop the lettuce into ribbons and then cross chop the ribbons to get bite-size pieces.
- Place the lettuce on plates and top with croutons.
- Drizzle the dressing over the plates.
- Serve with a lemon slice, grated Parmesan, or see my list of toppings in the notes.
Nutrition
Grain-Free Croutons
Ingredients
- 4 slices cashew sandwich bread or other grain-free bread
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325℉.
- Cut up the bread slices into cubes and toss in a bowl with the olive oil and salt.
- Spread the croutons on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
- Toss on salads. Cool and store in an airtight container for a few weeks or freeze for a few months.
Nutrition
Creamy Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- ¼ cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove peeled and roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup water plus more as needed to thin the dressing; see notes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until well blended.
- Use on salads, as a dip, and sandwiches.
- Store in the refrigerator for a few weeks.
Nutrition
Classic Casear Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 egg yolk
- ⅓ cup graded Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste or 1 anchovy fillet
- ½ cup oil mild-flavored olive oil or sunflower oil
Instructions
- Add the egg yolk, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, garlic, and anchovy paste to a food processor or blender, and pulse for a minute to blend the ingredients.
- Keep the food processor or blender running, and slowly drizzle the olive oil in to emulsify it into the mixture. This will create a thick, creamy dressing. Stop once it is still pourable.
- Toss the dressing with the kale leaves until they are evenly coated.
- Store the dressing in a cool place for a few days, or in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Bring to room temperature before using again.
Nutrition
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