One of the most common ways to get greens is through salads, and one of the most popular salads is a Caesar salad. Caesar salads are not the best health-wise - the calories in the dressing are pretty high, and it's traditionally served with a light-green romaine lettuce. Don't get me wrong, romaine is healthy, but the kind you usually see in a Caesar salad is a light green, which has far fewer phytonutrients than a darker lettuce. I have redesigned the dressing to be much more nutritious and added much healthier veggies into the mix to give this classic a healthy boost. The more veggies you add, the more types of vitamins you'll get, which is why I recommend you turn this into a big family salad. Choose from any veggies you want and add them with some nutritious greens. The best part is that you can make this salad multiple nights in a row with a different combination of veggies while using up all of the dressing, so it's a different experience every night.
Serves 8 - 10
Ingredients
6 cups leafy greens of your choice
Suggestions:
- Kale
- Chard
- Spinach
- Spring mix
- Arugula
- Red leaf lettuce
- Watercress
3 cups diced veggies of your choice
Suggestions:
- Cucumbers
- Cherry tomatoes (leave them whole or halve them)
- Roma tomatoes
- Avocado
- Bell peppers (any color)
- Onions
- Carrots
- Radishes
- Celery
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
For dressing:
1 lb (1 average package) of silken tofu
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
The juice of 1 large lemon
1 large garlic clove, peeled
2 tsp high-quality Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
*You may use more than one leafy green veggie! Combine kale and chard for a super green salad, or lettuce and spring mix for something a little more classic. I used spring mix, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes in my salad, but I threw mine together in about five minutes, so I didn't have the time to add a bunch of other veggies. Do whatever you want and have the time for.
Preparation
1. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a food processor, blender or Vita-Mix. Blend on a high speed for about one minute, or until the contents reach a smooth and thin consistency. If you want your dressing thinner, add a little bit of water. Adjust the seasonings and set aside.
2. Combine all of the greens and veggies you chose in a large serving bowl. Mix well. Pour the dressing over the top and serve immediately. If you so choose, you could add a wedge of lemon to each serving for each person to squeeze over their salad.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! I served it to a bunch of my friends the other day, and they approved, so you will too. They said it tasted exactly like caesar dressing, and they couldn't believe that I made it out of tofu! It's a much better choice than store-bought dressing. I HATE store-bought dressing. Hate it, hate it, HATE IT. I'll make my own dressing any day, and I'm so glad I have another homemade dressing recipe in my arsenal so I can avoid store-bought dressings.
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Stay healthy!
- Madeline
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