Caesar salad, one of my favorite things to eat. As much as I love to eat them, they are usually not that healthy. I like creamy Caesar salads, and that means mayo, and too much mayo is a no- no, unless you want to be round like a Ho-Ho. No wait, Ho Ho's aren't round, Ding Dong's are round., and have creamy centers. Mmmmm creamy centers ....creamy centers make me happy.
Back to salads. How are we supposed to think about salads when we were just talking about creamy caked filled goodness? Because if you eat more salads you can treat yourself to more cakes. Ahhh, see there ya go. Now, I ♥ Caesar salads. My husband used to ♥ them too, until one day when we decided to go to a fancy schmancy restaurant where they let him know exactly what was in that yummy dressing. See my hubby isn't a foodie. He's perfectly happy left in the dark as to what ingredients go in the dishes I make, unless we are talking mushrooms, I swear he can smell a mushroom a mile away.
So there we are sitting in this very nice restaurant, both ordering our Caesar salad to start, and out comes our salads, with two little anchovy filets looking my husband right in the eye. Those beady eyed little buggers ruined him for good on my favorite salad. He looked at me and asked why they were on top of his salad, so the secret was out. Yes there is anchovy in the dressing. From then on he refused to eat it. If there is one person who hates fish more than myself it's him, oh and all of my GP's for that matter.
But tonight he decided to be brave and let me fix him one. So I whipped out one of my favorite recipes for a Caesar, Cooking Light's Creamy Caesar Salad with Spicy Croutons. I added a grilled chicken breast to make it a complete meal. Just take your favorite cajun spice rub and sprinkle it on the chicken, drizzle with a little olive oil and throw it on a grill, grill pan, Foreman, or saute it, doesn't matter it's all good.
This dressing is made with a fat free mayo, which I despise usually, but in this dressing I can deal with it. It makes the dressing a little zippy. Not a fan, use light or go full fat it's your waist line so do whatcha like. If you aren't a fan of anchovy, skip it, throw in a half a clove of garlic instead. Won't exactly be a Caesar, but why should you miss all the fun?
This salad is yummy. Make it and let me know what you think.
Creamy Caesar Salad with Spicy Croutons
1 garlic clove, halved
1/2 cup nonfat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons white wine Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups (3/4-inch) sourdough bread cubes
18 cups torn romaine lettuce
1/3 cup (1 1/3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Drop the garlic halves through the opening in blender lid with blender on; process until minced (I grated my garlic into the dressing, you can also press it if you have a garlic press, or use a food processor for this.) Add mayonnaise and the next 5 ingredients (mayonnaise through pepper); process until well-blended. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.
Combine oil, Cajun seasoning, and minced garlic in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high for 20 seconds. Add bread cubes; toss gently to coat. Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet; bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. (Mine were done in 10 minutes so watch these babies.)
Place lettuce in a large bowl. Add dressing; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cheese, and top with croutons.
Yield: 6 servings
Adapted from Cooking Light
Calories: 137 (27% from fat) Fat: 4.1g (sat 1.3g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.4g) Protein: 7.7g
Carbohydrate: 18.2g Fiber: 4.1g Cholesterol: 4mg Iron: 3mg Sodium: 836mg
Calcium: 176mg
