TAHINI CAESAR SALAD WITH ROASTED CROUTONS

Dinner, Italian, Lunch, Salad by Cafe Christina

I love a Caesar salad. At least once a week (if not 2 or 3 times), I’ll have it for lunch or dinner. I’ll add penne pasta or grilled chicken to make it more filling. Or even some blackened or grilled shrimp on top. I’ll substitute kale for romaine or do a crunchy combination of both sometimes. I also love to add crispy chick peas or toasted pine nuts on top. Salad is so versatile and I love dressing it up as an entree or dressing it down as a side item. It can go both ways.

This dressing is much healthier than a normal mayo based Caesar dressing. Although I love my original Caesar dressing…sometimes I’m looking for a classic Caesar flavor but with a twist. This dressing is just that. For those of you that do not know what tahini is…it’s basically a middle eastern paste made out of sesame seeds. It’s got a pretty mellow flavor but it’s very creamy and perfect for salad dressings. It’s also one of the main ingredients in humus! Since the mayo is subbed out for tahini, it’s makes this salad vegetarian friendly.

There are so many things you can serve this salad with. It’s perfect for all occasions… dinner/lunch/parties. I’ll link a few recipes below for inspiration.

TURKEY TOMATO BAKED PASTA WITH RICOTTA & MOZZARELLA

GOAT CHEESE, SPINACH AND MUSHROOM STUFFED PORK TENDERLOIN

CREAMY TOMATO BASIL SOUP

DATE NIGHT FILET MIGNON IN THE CAST IRON

GOAT CHEESE, MUSHROOM AND CARAMELIZED ONION PAPPARDELLE WITH FILET MIGNON

PRODUCTS I LOVE:

TAHINI CAESAR SALAD WITH ROASTED CROUTONS

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 5-10 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4-6 side salads

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 large head romaine, washed and cut into bite size chunks
  • Parmesan cheese, for garnish
  • Fresh ground black pepper, for garnish

For dressing:

  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1 lemon, juice of
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, to taste

For croutons:

  • 1 cup stake French bread, cubed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

For dressing:

  1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend on high till smooth and creamy.

For croutons:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Place the bread on a parchment covered cooking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and garlic powder. Mix together with your hands so that each piece is equally covered.
  3. Place in the oven for about 5-10 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy. (Cook time will differ according to how stale your bread is. Keep a close eye on it while cooking to prevent burning.)

For assembly:

  1. In a large bowl combine lettuce, croutons and a few tbsp of the dressing. Toss together. Garnish with extra Parmesan and black pepper.

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