Garden Caesar Salad
/By: Trisha’s Table, dressing inspired by www.OhSheGlows.com (her recipes are a-mazing!)
Take the best of a caesar salad (the dressing), healthify it, and mix it with the best of a garden salad (all those awesome veggies) and you have yourself a sure way of eatin’ a big ol’ bowl of veggies and loving every bite of it.
- Total “I have to do something time”: 15 minutes
- Total cook time: 15 minutes
Cashew caesar ingredients (Makes about 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight or cooked in the microwave in a bowl of water for 2 minutes
- 1/4 cup water
- 1.5 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons capers
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt and pepper, or to taste
Salad ingredients
- 1 small bunch tuscan kale
- 2 small heads romaine lettuce
- 2 carrots sliced
- 5 small vine ripe tomatoes (or any tomato) sliced
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
Crouton Ingredients
- 4 slices 100% whole grain-bread (the Ezekiel brand is my favorite)
- Italian seasoning
- Water, veggie broth or Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids (to help spices stick)
Instructions
Cut bread into equal sized crouton sized pieces. Let sit outside for 2-3 hours until hard. Once hard, turn oven to bake at 350 degrees. Toss the croutons in a heavy amount of Italian spices in a large bowl. Use Bragg's, a small amount of water or vegetable broth to help the spices stick. Place in the oven for about 10 minutes or until brown and crispy.
While croutons are cooking, prepare the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until very smooth and creamy (don't include the water the cashews were soaking in).
Prepare the salad ingredients. Cut romaine and tuscan kale into equal sized squares. Prep the remaining salad ingredients but cutting them in the shapes and sizes you want to eat them in.
Place the salad ingredients and croutons into a large mixing bowl. Begin to pour the dressing on. Pour on small amounts, then toss using tongs until the salad is evenly coated. Continue to add more dressing until you reach the desired amount of dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.