Food Kuel Category Expert: Janet Neustedter
Caesar salad is a favorite for most people – but how many of you make your own dressing? This is a simple recipe, with tons of flavor!
The Caesar salad is light and traditionally has just a couple of ingredients – good olive oil, anchovy filets, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, and of course topped with crunchy toasted croutons.
When one thinks of Caesar salad, it makes you think of spaghetti, or pizza, or all food Italian! When I looked up the origination of the salad there appear to be two history tales, one that a man named Cesare Cardini, from Italy “birthed” the salad that bears his name, and one that it actually originated in Mexico!
What do you think of when you think of eating a Caesar salad? Crunchy croutons, garlic, a touch of lemon flavor, loads of parmesan cheese. It is the perfect salad for any entrée, and as a main course with a simple protein such as chicken or fish.
When making a meal with different courses, having the same flavors threaded throughout make a meal congruous. If grilling chicken to go with the salad, I would marinate the meat in lemon juice, couple of garlic cloves, a diced shallot, fresh basil and a dash of white wine. Don’t pitch the marinade! That is where all the flavor is! When the chicken goes on the grill take the marinade and put it in a saucepan on low to cook out the chicken juices and make it safe to eat. When you serve the chicken pour the cooked marinade on top.
Recipe:
1 cup delicious, good olive oil (any other oil and you lose the flavor of Caesar)
Juice of one lemon
1 Tbs Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon hot sauce or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 clove garlic diced
Dash or two Worcestershire
3 anchovy filets smashed and diced\
1 generous Tablespoon avocado mayonnaise – (do not use mayonnaise with vegetable oil or canola oil)
¼ cup parmesan cheese in dressing, more for on the lettuce
Lettuce Choices:
Iceberg cut into quarters for a wedge-type salad
Traditional Romaine lettuce chopped
Put all the ingredients in a small Kerr jar except the mayonnaise and whisk with a fork. The mayonnaise is optional: if you want a creamy dressing add the mayo. Add the cheese in right before you pour it over the lettuce, add more cheese to top the salad.
Croutons Are Also Traditional On A Caesar:
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and set the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut a loaf of sourdough bread into thick slices, then into cubes. In a large bowl put about a half cup of olive oil (the same used for the dressing), and some dried herbs of choice. Put the cubes in the bowl and toss with your hands to coat.
Pour the cubes onto the cookie sheet and bake for about 10-15 minutes, stirring once or twice. They should be brown and toasted when they come out. Toss on top of the salad when served to keep the croutons crunchy.
Join Janet In Her Kitchen:
About the Author:
Janet is a restaurant trained chef, who has always had a healthy cooking interest. After being exposed to the term Functional Medicine, Janet became energized with the connection of food being medicine and food potentially being harmful (in the case of allergies). That connection inspired her to become certified in Functional Medicine Health Coaching. Functional Medicine is about identifying and addressing the root cause of diseases. Food is often a part of that link. People with stomach “issues” may just need a simple adjustment in the food they eat to have less pain. People trying to lose weight can do it without 100 burpees or running marathons. As a certified Functional Medicine coach, she helps clients identify what foods can help meet specific health goals. You can learn more about Janet on her site – Here4You.
