While on vacation, well, while getting some time off from my regular day job, that is, I finally got to find a little bit of time to do one of the things that I like to do most, besides cooking: gardening!!!
For 3 days straight, I stayed out in the yard, (I came in at night, though, don’t worry…) taking care of my flower beds, removing the weeds, moving some of my perennials to a new location, buying new ones and replacing a few that had not made it through winter…
I also FINALLY got to buy my annuals and make my planters. I usually do that sometime in MAY!
It was hard work, but it was also tons of fun. I think I will be able to show you a few pictures, soon! The flowers are just about to bloom. A couple more weeks still, and it’ll be pretty spectacular!
Anyway, enough about the flowers already. It’s the food we want to know about, isn’t it? 
Well, it was just so nice out, so warm and sunny… just the kind of weather that will give me a major craving for a good old classic: Caesar Salad, served with a nice, tender and juicy grilled chicken breast. Hey, one does have to whip up that BBQ from time to time…
A while back, I had attempted to make a healthy Caesar Salad but hadn’t been too satisfied with the result, so I hadn’t posted the recipe. This time is way different!
Man was that salad ever good. Good to eat, AND good for you!
In fact, I find it’s so darn close to the real thing that it would fool just about anyone. The only thing that’s really different is I had to leave the bacon out… but really, I didn’t miss it one bit. I decided to replace it with kalamata olives, and it did the trick beautifully.
Give it a try, really… you won’t believe your taste buds!
CAESAR SALAD
(serves 4)
DRESSING
- 1 egg white
- ½ cup 1% fat cottage cheese
- ½ cup 0% fat plain greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp capers
- 1 tsp anchovy paste
- 3 tbsp fresh parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 3 garlic cloves
CROUTONS
- 2 thick slices whole grain bread (choose one that is dense with a nice, thick and crispy crust)
- 1 garlic clove
- about 1 tsp olive oil
SALAD AND GARNISHES
- 1 large head romaine lettuce
- 20 Kalamata olives, chopped
- fresh parmesan shavings
- 2 tsp capers
- Croutons
INSTRUCTIONS
- Clean lettuce thoroughly and spin or pat it dry. Tear leaves to bite size pieces.
- In a food processor, mix all the ingredients for the dressing, except for egg white. Process until smooth. Reserve.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk egg white to soft peak consistency. Delicately fold it in reserved dressing with a spatula. Set aside.
- Toast the bread for the croutons in your regular toaster. As soon as the toasts come out, rub them all over and on both sides with the clove of garlic. The garlic will be absorbed into the warm bread. Drizzle both sides of the toasts with a tiny little bit of olive oil.
- Using a serrated knife, cut the toasts into bite size croutons and throw them in a non stick pan. Cook over medium heat until crispy and golden.
- Mix dressing into lettuce and transfer into 4 serving plates.
- Garnish with croutons, chopped kalamata olives, parmesan shavings and a few capers.
I know, I know… some of you are thinking “But wait a minute… didn’t you mention a grilled chicken breast before? Where’d that go? I don’t see no grilled chicken breast here!”
Fear not, my friends, it’s coming!
I couldn’t possibly do that to you, now, come on! I just thought Ms. Caesar Salad there was soooo yummy, she deserved to get her own stage for a bit.
Now that that’s out of the way, I may finally introduce her bestest pal, and I named, the grilled chicken breast. Seriously, those two go sooooo well together.
Garlic, garlic, and more garlic!
Mint, anyone?
GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST
MARINADE
(for 4 chicken breasts)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp za’atar
- 2 tsp sumac
- 8-10 garlic cloves, crushed
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a shallow glass dish, mix all the ingredients together until well combined
- Add chicken breasts and move them around to coat all sides
- Cover with a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat
- Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade place them on the grill. Close the lid and let the breasts cook for about 5-7 minutes then flip them over
- Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through
- Cut into strips and serve with Caesar Salad
This looks like such a cool and refreshing salad. I plan on making it either this weekend or early this week.
Thanks Anne! I sure would love to hear your thoughts on it!
I know what you mean about the garden! We have a 20×40 veggie garden and it desperately needs weeding but I’m afraid to take the kids out because they step on and pull the wrong things out. Can’t wait for my hubby to watch them this weekend so I can weed!
That salad looks delicious! It’s been too long since we’ve had Caesar salad, that sounds perfect for dinner tonight
This looks totally yummy, and let me add that you have the prettiest dishes!
Thanks, Libby! It kind of is an addiction of mine. I’m also running out of space to store all my dishes… which is sad. I will need to fix that soon… find more storage space, that is!
I like the idea of this a lot. I always find Caesar salad dressing to be too cloyingly rich, especially for salad. This looks like it would have all of the flavour but without overdoing it!
Well, that one sure feels rich, without all the added fat. So it’s kind of light, but rich at the same time… Hard to explain, guess you have to try it to believe it! And it really is EXPLODING with flavor.
The only salad my husband likes is caesar. Which means I’m always on the hunt for a way to make it healthier…Really loving your dressing, with the cottage cheese and greek yogurt!
Well, I certainly hope he likes that one, if you decide to have him try it. Let me know what he thought, if you do!
Made this for dinner tonight, it was so good! I love Caesar Salad but the traditional dressing is quite calorific and this version although tastes slightly different, tastes absolutely amazing in its own right, and it’s so easy to make! Love it!
I love your recipes! I Want to try this sometime this week, but I am going to make it into a warm pasta salad with whole wheat penne…just wondering how you think this dressing would hold up when served over warm chicken and pasta. Thank you in advance!
I think it would work wonderfully well! Just make sure you don’t cook the dressing, as it would most probably curdle. So long as you just mix it in with the warm pasta and chicken, or pour it overtop, you should be just fine, and it should make for a fantastic dish too! Let me know how it turns out!
I tried the dressing recipe and I really enjoyed it! I was thrilled to find a healthy recipe that doesn’t take a ton of parmesan cheese like most do. I’ll definitely be adding this to my own recipes.
Yay! Real happy to hear that you liked it, Lauren! Thank you so much for letting me know! I really appreciate that!