A girl’s gotta eat! When I’m on my own (i.e. no guys in the house) I love having a flavor-and-nutrient-packed salad for dinner. My homemade Caesar dressing delivers healthy fats and loads of flavor, and when you pour that over a bowl full of broccoli, spinach, and colorful lettuce leaves, topped with toasted pumpkin seeds, chickpeas and parmesan cheese, well, it’s satisfying on all levels – taste, texture and health!
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RECIPE HACK 1: a proper Caesar dressing uses raw eggs, but that means you have to consume the dressing that day else risk a nasty tummy/food poisoning. I replace raw eggs with yogurt and pine nuts to create a creamy dressing that will keep for weeks in your fridge, so a restaurant-level Caesar salad is always at hand!
RECIPE HACK 2: a proper Caesar dressing uses anchovy paste, which I never have, but because I do a lot of Asian cooking, I always have Thai Fish Sauce, and that does the trick to give this Caesar dressing that complexity and depth of flavor you get in a proper restaurant…and it’s useful in other recipes.
RECIPE HACK 3: use oven-roasted chickpeas (or straight out of the can) in place of starchy, empty-calorie croutons. You get texture and taste as well as protein and fiber. Winner! —Cathy Menees
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