Let’s face it, Caesar Salad’s are the ISH. That was my attempt at now swearing at you, which, honestly, I think words like “fuck” and “shit” can be part of a healthy lifestyle. Ahhh, shoot. There I go, actually swearing in this blog post.
For for real, I do love a good Caesar Salad. However, it’s been off the table for me for a while because of two things:
Caesar Salad’s usually have croutons, aka gluten.
Caesar dressing usually has dairy in it like milk or a heavy cream or cheese.
Well, I can tell you this: making it at home was pretty darn easy, and in true Wholistic Belly fashion, I upgraded it. You’ll see we have Kale instead of iceberg lettuce, because, you know, when it comes to greens, the darker the better. We’ve got a homemade Caesar dressing with 100% Grass-fed Greek Yogurt, which is still dairy, but I’ll get to the why in a minute. We’ve got some avocado for a healthy fat which will keep you satiated longer, and, last but not least, we’ve added a small amount of protein, in this case free-range organic Chicken — but I’ve had it with a Hilary’s Veggie patty and it was equally as delicious, to fill us up.
But Rachael, did you just say you took Caesar dressing off the table because of the dairy? Well, yes, you are correct! However, I make a few exceptions for dairy, and here’s why:
Similar to why choosing grass-fed beef is actually considered healthy for your body opposed to grain or corn fed beef being detrimental to your health, and where red meat gets it’s bad name from, Grass-fed dairy, specifically yogurt, has a great Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio, helping to reduce inflammation in the body. On the opposite spectrum, grain or corn fed dairy has a big imbalance in the Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio, being a lot higher in it’s Omega-6’s which causes a ton of inflammation.
For me, I can’t eat much dairy. I get really congested and my left ear starts to clog up. When I eat good sources of dairy like 100% Grass-fed Yogurt, I don’t get these symptoms. In fact, yogurt has amazing benefits for the gut because of it’s high probiotic count and can aid in the reintroduction phase of a gut healing protocol.
The same rule applies to cheese here. However, I encourage you to listen to your body. My stomach still gets a bit funny, even with grass-fed cheese, so I don’t push it too often. I did use a small amount of parmesan cheese in this recipe for the dressing, but that’s because I had tested this a few times and it didn’t bother me. If it does bother you, simply omit the cheese. It’s just as tasty.
Also, as I’ve mentioned in a previous post, making your own salad dressing is super easy and WAY healthier for you, especially since you can choose high quality ingredients like Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Grass-fed Yogurt. This one is no exception.
KALE CAEAR SALAD with HOMEMADE CAESAR DRESSING Cook time 1/2 hour | Serves 4
For the dressing:
1/2 cup 100% Grass-fed Yogurt
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 Lemon, Juiced
1 Clove Garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper, to taste
(optional) 1/2 cup Grass-fed Parmesan Cheese
For the salad:
1 bunch Kale
2 avocado
1 Chicken Breast
EVOO
Salt + Pepper to taste
Directions:
Cover the chicken breast in olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook at 375° for 30 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking, combine all ingredients for dressing. Mix well.
Cut and wash the kale. Roll up your sleeves and massage the kale with the dressing.
Separate kale into bowls. Top each with half of an avocado and a little bit of chicken.
Enjoy!
I’ve eaten this as both a salad and wrapped in a brown rice tortilla. As always, it’s gluten free.