Caesar Dressing / Chicken Caesar Salad – 178

Eric and I have been making this dressing for years. We generally double these amounts which gives us enough for months! This is certainly not a low-calorie dressing, but it is full of heart-healthy ingredients and it is completely void of the most popular store-bought dressing ingredient – High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Eating healthy is not just about counting calories or carbs (don’t get me started on the ridiculous obsession of counting every carb), it’s about putting nutritious, real food in your body in sensible amounts. If you’ve looked over much of this website, you probably already know that I am a huge P90X and Beachbody fan. I am about to begin week 3 of my second round. If you’ve ever tried these workouts, or even seen one of their infomercials, you know that they are extremely intense and they burn a boatload of calories. If you are on a quest to be healthy you are, hopefully, getting some real exercise every day. To have the energy to “Bring It” (the P90X mantra), then you have to have enough fuel in your tank. Think of this, if you are going to drive across the country you wouldn’t expect to be able to make it with a 1/2 full tank of crappy gas. Your body works in a similar way. The more you work out, the better fuel your body needs. A muscle car requires a lot more than a VW bug. I want to be a muscle car and I deserve premium fuel.

Caesar Dressing

2 oz. anchovies
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 – 1/2 Tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
1 – 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 – 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
16 0z. extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients, except olive oil into a blender or food processor. Blend very well. Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in the olive oil. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.

Allow to come to room temperature before serving. This dressing will slightly solidify once it’s been refrigerated, this is normal. To get a serving ready quickly, place the dressing in a small amount of warm water for a few minutes and then stir well before serving.

Chicken Caesar Salad

2 Tablespoons Caesar Dressing
1/2- lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small strips

4 – 6 cups Romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
4 Tablespoons Caesar Dressing

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, add dressing and chicken to the pan. Saute for 5 – 6 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned and cooked through. Toss Romaine with 4 Tablespoons of the dressing. Top with the cooked chicken.