Caesar Salad with Lemon

I have to admit, I just had the yummiest lunch!  I made a garlic and lemony caesar salad with avocados, red pepper and fresh parmesan cheese.  That is a winning combination.  The flavor jumps out of the salad with the potent garlic, lemony kicker, rich avocado and parmesan (can you tell, I love this salad and really should make it more often?).  This salad combination compliments any Italian dish and is apparently a wonderful lunch meal on it’s own.  You can add cooked chicken breast if you have left overs for a main meal.

The original inspiration from this salad came from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, authors of The Silver Palate.   I’ve made a few changes, likely the most glaring one was I reduced the olive oil in half, and I switched out the white wine vinegar for apple cider vinegar.  I did omit the lemon zest but feel free to add that in if you are a lemon zesty person (1 tsp).   Enjoy this light tasty treat.

Caesar Salad with Lemon

Combine the lettuce and red pepper in a large salad bowl:

• 1 large head of romaine lettuce, rinsed and dried and torn or chopped
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 avocado, sliced or diced (cut avocado right before serving)
• Freshly grated parmesan to taste (set aside)

Lemony Caesar Dressing

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

In a small mixing bowl, add the fresh lemon juice, garlic and apple cider vinegar and combine. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the dressing whisking constantly. The dressing will thicken nicely. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

Just before serving your salad, combine the lettuce and pepper with the dressing.  After they are coated well, cut and add the avocados and parmesan cheese and combine or just sprinkle them on top for a lovely presentation.  Serves 4-6.

Options:  Combine 1 teaspoon lemon zest with dressing or add sliced chicken breast for a main meal.

Source:  Adapted from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins