Caesar salad my way

Caesar salad is a classic dish served in many parts of the world. Most people buy the dressing in a super calorific bottle, and it does not even remotely taste like homemade dressing. The original dressing recipe calls for raw eggs and a lot of oil to make the mayo base; in my recipe, I have altered the ingredients to get a lighter and healthier dressing without taking away too much from the original flavour. Salads for lunch on a hot summer day is my favourite; in addition, firing up a BBQ is entertaining made easy.

This recipe is light, delicious and easy to execute. Grilling the chicken breast is just a technique; I would encourage you to marinade the chicken in any spice combination you like. As for the dressing, I tend to use aqua faba (the brine from boiled chickpeas) as it whips nicely, giving a smooth, silky texture without the need for too much oil. You can watch my vegan Thoumeh recipe here, and for more healthy salad recipes click here.

Servings: 2-3

Prep time: 11 minutes

Grill time: 9 minutes

Ingredients:

For chicken:

2 skinless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon Himalayan salt

For dressing:

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup aqua faba

1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yoghurt

1 clove minced garlic

4 teaspoons anchovy fillets or 1 tablespoon Worcester

2 tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of salt

3 Boston lettuce leaves or any variety

2 cups cubed bruschetta bread

50 grams parmesan cheese

Method:

· Place the chicken breasts in a bowl and add all the spices, salt, olive oil, and rub. Cover and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour.

· Place all the ingredients for the salad dressing in a glass bowl and whisk. Adjust the acidity and salt to your taste.

· Prepare the bruschetta as in my video tomato bruschetta but omit using the tomato and brushing with garlic.

· Remove the chicken breasts from the fridge half an hour before grilling so it comes to room temperature.

· Heat the grill to medium and grill the chicken smooth side first for about five minutes. If it lifts up with no resistance, it is ready to flip to the other side.

· Grill on the other side for about 4 minutes until the thermometer registers 76 C when inserted into the thickest part of the breast. See notes below.

· Remove the chicken to a clean plate and cover with foil to rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

· Prepare the lettuce leaves on a plate, cube the bruschetta, scatter it, slice the chicken to a medium thickness, add to the salad, and finish with drizzling the dressing and grated parmesan cheese your liking.

Notes:

· The exact grilling time of the chicken breast depends on the size and thickness. If you don’t have a thermometer, then grill five minutes on one side, flip and grill on the other side until you insert the tip of a knife and the juices run clear.

· When grilling any meats, do not press on the cuts as this will result in the juices running out and leave you with a dry piece.

· Always grill chicken on direct medium heat.

· No matter what cut of chicken you grill, the internal temperature must read 76 C when the thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the cut.

Per Serving excluding bruschetta: 978 Calories; 64g Fat (59.3% calories from fat); 77g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 218mg Cholesterol; 2266mg Sodium.