JBean’s Caesar Salad Dressing

Caesar salad has always been a favourite of mine and my Mom is known for her caesar salad.  In fact, it pretty much goes without saying that if my Mom brings anything to family gatherings, it’ll be “her” caesar salad.  It’s really delicious and I love it.  But, there is a problem.  CH hates mayonnaise – like really, really detests it. He wouldn’t eat my Mom’s salad and claimed to hate all caesar salads because of this.  Point blank – no discussions, he wouldn’t eat it and I hated going through the effort of making my Mom’s dressing for just me.

Thus, I decided to de-construct my Mom’s recipe and make it CH approved.  The first thing I did was remove the mayo, and I didn’t like the idea of raw eggs either, so those were gone too.  Anchovies aren’t worth the effort (in my opinion) and this is how I reached my recipe below!  It is my creation and I’ve never enjoyed caesar salad more (sorry Mom!).  But the ultimate test was CH….I tricked him (I know, I am a bad wife!) and told him it was a vinaigrette.  He LOVED it.  Asked for seconds, loved it.  Then, he looked at me….said it tasted like caesar salad, and I told him it was!  I made my own recipe so that he’d like it and now he does! Yeay for cooking success!

Be aware, there is a good amount of garlic so you might want to brush your teeth afterward! Or, do what I do, and make your husband/partner/friend eat it too, then they won’t notice!  Or, reduce the garlic to your liking!

It is a heart smart and lightened version of a classic. I hope it makes its way onto your table soon!

JBean’s Caesar Salad Dressing

Yield:  About a cup of dressing (enough for 1 large salad – about 2 or 3 heads of romaine lettuce)
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: n/a

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp of white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp mustard
• 3 garlic cloves, grated or minced very finely
• 1/4 tsp Worcester sauce
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup milk (1% or 2%)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic and Worcester until well combined and smooth.

Add in the lemon juice and S&P.  Whisk well again.

Add in the milk and parmesan, whisk again until thoroughly combined.

Pour the dressing over your lettuce mixture of choice and top with fresh parmesan.  Enjoy!

A JBean Original Recipe

*PS – This dressing also goes really well over spinach with mushroom and bacon!