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Caesar Salad Dressing

October 4, 2013


If were to guess what my diet was like based on my blog postings, you’d probably graph my cheese consumption similar to cosine this week.  I started out cheese heavy on Monday, delved into some sweet vegan treats on Wednesday, and then rounded my week out with a cheesy Caesar dressing. Well, you’d be wrong.  My cheese consumption was more like a straight line, graphed somewhere around 85% of my diet.  Okay, 85% is a little high, but I was definitely cheese heavy.

Caesar Salad Dressing

I love, love, love Caesar salads, but the unfortunate truth is that most Caesar dressings are not vegetarian as they contain anchovies.  The anchovies add only a subtle flavor, though it’s very obvious when it’s missing.  My solution? Soy sauce.  It brings the umami flavor of anchovies without the actual fish.  It does mean that you need to tone back on the added salt, so keep that in mind.

Caesar Salad Dressing

Another problem with Caesar dressing is its overall lack of nutritional value, couple with the fact that the salad you add it to is usually just croutons and extra Parmesan.  I bumped up the protein by using Greek yogurt as the base.  The salad pictured only has tomatoes added, but I like to throw in some kalamata olives and you could even add some warm chickpeas to round it out.  If you’re feeling extra fancy, make some homemade croutons out of my olive and feta rolls.

Caesar Salad Dressing
Author: 
Serves: 4
 

Ingredients
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ⅓ c + 1 tbsp fat free Greek yogurt (could use sour cream in a pinch)
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce (or GF soy sauce)
  • ⅓ c (heaping) fresh grated Parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
  1. Press or finely mince garlic.
  2. Combine all ingredients until well mixed.
  3. Toss with romaine lettuce, croutons, and any other salad toppings or use as a dressing for sandwiches.

Notes
Fresh grate your Parmesan or buy the fresh grated kind from the cheese section of the grocery store – do NOT use the kind in a can.
As always, taste and adjust components slightly to fit your tastes.

Nutrition Information
Calories: 85 Fat: 5g Carbohydrates: 3g Fiber: 0g Protein: 9g

 

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12 Comments
    Yvonne @ bitter baker Oct 10, 2013

    This looks like a great recipe for a ceasar dressing! I love making my own dressings, usually it tastes so much better than the store-bought kind, plus you know exactly what’s in it!

    Annie @ Natural Sweet Recipes Oct 08, 2013

    I love how simple this is, yet it look so so delicious! You can never go wrong with a little parmesan cheese in a salad! 🙂 I also love the idea to use the dressing in a sandwich! That sounds delicious as too!

    Gretchen @ Two Healthy Kitchens Oct 07, 2013

    I’m not sure how you did it … but I was JUST going to look for a Caesar dressing recipe. Using Greek yogurt. How did you know????
    I’m so excited to try this! Thanks for the awesome recipe!!

      Kelly Oct 07, 2013

      Let me know how it turns out! This is probably the first (maybe 2nd) dressing I’ve ever made, let alone developed a recipe for, so I’m extra impressed with my timing!

    Joanne Oct 07, 2013

    Nothing wrong with a little (or a lot) cheese here and there! I do love Caesar salad and I’m so happy this dressing is vegetarian!

    Reeni Oct 06, 2013

    Love your version of Caesar dressing – one of my favorites! Great idea to use soy sauce!

    Marcie@flavorthemoments Oct 05, 2013

    I love Caesar dressing, but I don’t like to use raw egg. Anchovies maybe, but no egg! I love how your version sounds with the Greek yogurt too!

    makingthymeforhealth Oct 04, 2013

    I usually don’t order caesar salads because I know the dressing has anchovies which grosses me out and like you said, it isn’t vegetarian. I love your version!! It sounds so yummy and totally worth the extra cheese consumption.

    cleaneatingveggiegirl Oct 04, 2013

    I love that this is vegetarian! I find it so hard to find a good caesar dressing that doesn’t contain anchovies!

    Em @ Love A Latte Oct 04, 2013

    I had my first vegan caesar dressing recently and I think they used soy sauce as well – great substitute! Have a good weekend 🙂