Greek Caesar
Soooooo my most sincere apologies if anyone was waiting for “1 or 2 Valentine’s blog posts” that I had stupidly “promised” – personally I don’t think anyone reads this THAT closely or gives a shit what I say THAT MUCH….but if you are the 1 maybe 2 people that I let down, I sorry.
But I promise “the wait” – oh boy, this will be worth it!
I’ve been on a Caesar Salad kick for…..ever, it seems. And I don’t feel like letting up or getting over it any time soon. So I probably won’t. And this is why I’ve decided to share my obsession with you!
caesar > anything else
It’s just the pure decadence & silkiness of the dressing & the acidic KICK from the lemon juice paired with juicy chicken & crisp romaine that gets me everytime. #GirlDinner is truly something I could write poems about it. But I won’t because that’s weird AF.
But what I will share is HOW EASY & HEALTHY my Greek Caesar dressing is! I mean seriously, with Plain Greek Yogurt as the base….you can’t miss & you can’t pass this up!
I gotta talk some more.
This blog post is gonna be one that’s SHORT & SWEET (which is exactly why I had wanted to post it for Valentine’s Day in the hopes that menz would be like “oh cool this chick doesn’t talk too much and just gives me the recipe” – again, APOLOGIES) but hey, Mother’s Day is coming up aaaand I read in the New York Times that cooking for a date is coming back in style again?!
I personally think this would be fun to make with a glass of wine just hanging out in the kitchen together. Someone can be chopping the lettuce, someone can be making the dressing & BAM it all comes together so quickly and deliciously…..oh sorry, I said I wouldn’t obsess over it.
ANYWAY. I gotchu. Let’s Get To It!
Ingredients
• ¾ cup Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt
• ¼ Cup Reduced Fat DUKE’S Mayo
• 1 HEAPING TBS smooth Dijon Mustard
• 3-5 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
• 1 large lemon, juiced
• 2-3 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
• 2-3 TBS Red Wine Vinegar
• 3-4 TBS good Olive Oil
• ½ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 TSP finely ground black pepper
Instructions
Seriously this isn’t difficult at all – nor should it be.
Simply measure out the Greek Yogurt, the Mayo & the Dijon Mustard into a medium bowl.
Finely Chop the garlic cloves & add them to the bowl with the above ingredients –- the 3-5 cloves means YOU get to choose just HOW garlicky you want this dressing. The fresh garlic flavor will definitely mellow out with the acid from the lemon juice & the red wine vinegar, but I personally prefer garlic over anchovies soooo that’s just where I’m at.
You will need a whisk at the ready to keep mixing all this gloriousness together.
Next, measure in the olive oil and whisk liken your life depends on it. The oil is dense and heavier than the other ingredients so you really want to make sure to incorporate it well!
Next measure and pour in both the Worcestershire & Red Wine Vinegar – I would start with 2 TBS each and give it a taste – do you like more acid? Add in more Red Wine Vinegar. Are you looking for a deeper flavor? (& Worcestershire sauce is used IN PLACE OF anchovies so remember that!) then add more Worcestershire sauce.
There is literally no wrong way to enjoy this dressing. It has ingredients that are easy to find, readily available and should taste the way YOU want it to!
Whisk everything together & add in your lemon juice – this is non-negotiable. You will want & need the juice of a FULL, LARGE lemon.
All that’s left is the parmesan cheese & the black pepper – they are VIPs and MVPs for this dressing. They are SO very delicious & can transform this dressing at the very last minute.
Measure out & whisk those 2 ingredients in as well – give it another taste! I personally like my Greek Caesar Dressing to be quite peppery & the parmesan cheese gives the right amount of salt, so definitely taste it before judging!
The color should be medium-tan in color, creamy & smooth. The Greek Yogurt will give a different tang than the acid and the Mayo will help smoooooth everything out in the way that only Duke’s Mayo can.
VIOLA! You’re done! You just made HOMEMADE Greek Caesar Salad dressing – not traditional, of course. But it should still be celebrated, admired, and devoured.
I make a batch once a week for us to keep in the fridge so we can have a Caesar Salad any time our heart desires – WITHOUT the guilt or heaviness of LOTS of egg yolks & LOTS of olive oil – and most importantly, the anchovies. I cannot get around that. I refuse. So I won’t.
This dressing will impress ANYBODY. I literally don’t know anyone who would turn their nose up at a gourmet, homemade, HEALTHY salad dressing!
NOT made by Julius Caesar
Please don’t give that man any credit. As I was writing this blog I had a bit of a feeling of imposter syndrome : like WHO THE HELL do I think I am writing / posting / creating a CAESAR salad dressing?! Who came up with this name?! Who even thought this up??
Don’t worry, I did the investigating for you.
Much like “Alfredo” which was named after a man in Rome. “Caesar” came from Caesar Cardini who was an Italian immigrant who had a restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico.
Mind is blown. I’m also weirded out right now also…..because this man invented his salad dressing NOT in his home country but in Mexico…..aight, weird flex but do you, boo.
I decided to dig deeper. I completely applaud & understand the use of real egg yolks & olive oil to make HOMEMADE mayo….but that shit is too much, even for me.
I also looked up WHY THE HELL lil fishies (anchovies) need to be present in this delectable dressing?? Apparently anchovies have / give an “umami-punch” of flavor….mmk. Don’t believe that for a second, but cool.
So after I went down the rabbit hole, I felt more excited & secure in MY version that I’m sharing with my corner of the world. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I do and it becomes a HAPPY repeat offender in your kitchen too!
Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate you stopping by! If you loved it, I’d love to hear from you.
If you hated it, then same.
Have a great day & look for my next entry!
© 2021 Cookin’ & Cussin’
