I am declaring this week lemon week, the first of our themed weeks, and staring it with a healthy Caesar makeover courtesy of an olive oil based dressing & crispy chickpea “croutons.” Oh, and a little birdie told me to save some dressing for my next post.
The obvious question, for those of you who don’t already follow me on Instagram (which you should for behind the scenes tips and posts!), is why lemon week? Well my friends, when life gives you lemons, make really delicious food. And I have a feeling with everything going on, quite a few of us have been given some lemons lately…
Which brings us full circle back to recipe #1 of lemon week: the lightened up caesar. No, this is not an oxymoron. Caesar no longer needs to be relegated to the “non-salad salad,” but can claim its rightful place on this healthy food blog by preparing following the below-
Ingredients
For the dressing (makes extra)-
- 1 cup olive oil
- 4 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice*
- 1.5 tsp anchovy paste**
- 1 tsp Dijon
- 3 cloves of garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional- pinch of sugar/ agave/honey (if needed)
For the chickpeas (serves 2)-
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 tbs cooking oil (I used avocado)
- 1/2 tsp of each spice: paprika, cumin, oregano (or whatever spice blend you want/have)
- Salt & pepper
For the rest-
- Your preferred greens! I did half romaine and half baby kale
- Optional- dusting of parmesan
Ingredient notes:
* For me, I got about 2 tbs of juice per large lemon (this mini, measuring citrus juicer changed my life for $6 and enabled me to tell you that)
** Or 2 anchovy fillets. Use kalamata olives if vegetarian.
Directions:
- Start with your chickpeas. Preheat oven to 400F. Rise and drain chickpeas, then toss in oil, salt, pepper, and spices. Roast for 40 min, flipping halfway through.
- While they’re roasting, combine all your dressing ingredients and whisk together. This will make extra dressing, which you’ll use again for Wednesday’s post and will stay in fridge for ~1 week!
- Combine greens, finished chickpeas, and dressing. Dust with parm if so inclined. Enjoy!
What am I listening to as I make this? “Paper Cup” by Real Estate
What can I learn while I make this? Another complex origin story (any penne alla vodka deja vu?). Caesar salad was invented in Mexico (I know!). Specifically, Tijuana. Its most commonly agreed upon origin is 4th of July 1924 when Cesare Cardini, an Italian immigrant, improvised a salad with ingredients on hand in his restaurant on a very unexpectedly busy day. Sounds straightforward, no? No. Most disputes are around if Cesare, his brother, or an employee created the salad, and whether in a restaurant or party. In any case, the salad took off and the family moved to Los Angeles, California where they patented the dressing in the 1940s. You can find it bottled in stores to this day, and his restaurant still exists in Tijuana.
What if I want a salad but not this one? Don’t worry, I won’t be offended. Check out a few more below:
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One reply on “Lighted Up Caesar with Crispy Chickpea “Croutons””
[…] says caesar has to be salad? Wrap up your leftovers from my last post, add some chicken and tomatoes, and enjoy! Haven’t made my lightened up caesar with crispy […]
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