When the weather warms up, nothing beats a crisp, delicious bowl of greens! I love Caesar Salad
, but I’m not a big fan of store-bought Caesar Dressings ( some preservative in them gives me the shakes)… Instead, I like making my dressing from scratch, and this version is a lot easier than others I’ve found (who has time to coddle egg yolks? Not this gal! ). I also really like Greek yogurt, so I think this recipe is pretty fantastic.
Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing
1/3 c. lowfat Greek yogurt
2 anchovy fillets, mashed
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 t. Worcestershire sauce ( or “woo sauce” as my grandmother used to say)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
For the Salad
1 large head romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
1 French baguette, cubed into bite-sized pieces ( this time I opted for larger slices, but you can do whatever works best for you)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Loosely chop the anchovies and then mash them. As you can see in my photo to the right, I like working the anchovies into a paste by applying pressure with a knife (it just mixes better in the dressing). In a small bowl, combine the yogurt with the mashed anchovies, garlic, lemon juice and “Woo sauce”. Whisk in the olive oil and half of the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spread the bread cubes on a non-stick baking sheets and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 5 minutes or so until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside. 
** Side bar: I freaking LOVE my cheese grater. It’s got this removable measuring cup that attaches to the bottom and makes measuring freshly grated cheese SUPER easy. It’s awesome. End side bar. ** In a large bowl, toss the romaine with half of the dressing and remaining cheese. Add the croutons and serve, passing the remaining dressing at the table.
Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver’s in Food & Wine, March 2011
