Caesar Salad Dressing

It seems as though when I have a craving for Caesar Salad, there is never quite all the ingredients around to make it happen. The last time this occurred, I was sure everything had been planned out and purchased, knowing there was a tube of anchovy paste in the pantry and romaine in the refrigerator, but again, not quite 😩. As I started to cook, I realized the date on the anchovy paste was past expiration, and well, that just didn’t seem like a food item to take a chance with and consume beyond the expiration date 😝. Yuk!

With a little quick research I located a recipe for homemade Caesar salad dressing that is made without anchovy. Interestingly, it was posted by someone who did not eat fish (www.xoandso.com), and so they had developed an alternative, what a good idea! This recipe made my Caesar salad come together for the evening, thank you! It was easy, very tasty and thus, must be shared 🤗.

The recipe contains some parmesan cheese, which is not on a Whole30 eating plan, but I do make an exception now and then for a hard type cheese, but if you are strictly avoiding dairy, you could eliminate the parmesan cheese to create a Whole30 dressing for your meal.

INGREDIENTS -

For the salad -
Crispy romaine, chopped
Thin sliced red onion
Grilled chicken breast, thinly sliced
Sunflower seeds for topping (the perfect replacement for the bread croutons!)

For the dressing -
2 cloves garlic
1 cup mayonnaise, Whole 30
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup shredded parmesan, optional
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, about 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Place the garlic in your food processor and pulse to mince. If you have any concerns about the strength of your food processor mincing the garlic, you could chop that in advance. Then, add all of the ingredients except olive oil to a food processor.

Begin by lightly pulsing to combine ingredients, and then more regular pulsing or continuous to puree a bit, using caution to not over mix or it can thicken up too much. Slowly add the olive oil to the mixture and pulse to blend. You can vary the amount of olive oil if you prefer a thicker or thinner consistency to your dressing.

And there you go! Great flavor and healthy too, the best of both. You can store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, that is if you don’t eat it all the first night! You will want seconds 😄. Enjoy!!