With only six days left to go, my raw challenge finish line is actually within sight. Though I am certainly ready for the return of cooked food in my diet, today’s recipe really was a delight. Fresh, crunchy Romaine lettuce from last Saturday’s Trout Lake Farmers Market certainly elevated things, and I also opted to pimp it up a bit with fresh tomatoes and edible flower petals, both items harvested from my own (semi) successful backyard garden. Though a part of me did miss the usual anchovy salty-fishy zip, the Dijon mustard delivered loads of zing and the nutritional yeast flakes added that cheesy flavour which good Caesar salads are known for.
Zingy Caesar Salad
(Serves 2)
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, washed, dried and torn into pieces
Caesar dressing (see recipe below)
1 small tomato, cut into wedges
1 T raw ‘Cheez Crumble‘ (for garnish)
Optional: petals from 2 edible flowers (for garnish)
Dressing:
2 T raw cashews, soaked for 1 hour, rinsed and drained
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T nutritional yeast flakes
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4garlic clove, minced
fresh black pepper
2 T water
2 T extra virgin olive oil
In a blender, add all ingredients except for the olive oil. Whirl to combine. With motor still running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. At this time, you could also add a little extra water if the dressing is too thick.
Next place the lettuce in a medium size bowl. Drizzle with just enough dressing to lightly coat the leaves when tossed. Serve salad divided onto 2 plates. Sprinkle with ‘Cheez Crumble’ and top with tomato wedges. Sprinkle with flower petals, if desired.
