Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Chicken Caesar Salad with Zesty Croutons



First, a picture from this weekend. Norris was hanging out in the garage waiting for some friends to come over (because what's more manly than watching football in the garage, anyway?!?) and Bruno claimed his chair, too!

So, on to the food...
You're wondering why my caesar salad is enlightened, right? Well, because the average dinner portion of this stuff averages around 900 calories or so, so compared to that, anything is light, right? This really is okay to eat, you New Years Resolutioners!
This is not your typical caesar--it has a bit of a kick. The mayo is used in place of the egg for stability.
Don't be scared to make your own dressing and croutons. Prepare the chicken however you like, but don't add a bunch of fat when you do!
Funny story on the anchovy paste--I was squeezing the tube at the front and the back end of it popped open and got on my pants, arm, shoe, and across the kitchen. I did not smell so nice the rest of the night! Be careful with this:)

Lightened Up Caesar Salad with Zesty Croutons and baked chicken


Salad dressing:
1/2 c light or nonfat mayo
2 T red wine vinegar
2 t Dijon mustard
2 t white wine (optional)
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t anchovy paste (optional, but does add depth to dressing; ask your grocery if you don't know where it is at your store)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 t ground red pepper

Croutons:
2 c sourdough bread cubes
1/2 t Creole seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T olive oil

Salad:
2 heads washed romaine lettuce cut into bite sized pieces
1/3 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or we just put a little from a can of it, which made us use a lot less, a good thing!)
5 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins

1. Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, wine, W sauce, anchovy paste, garlic, and pepper in a bowl. If time permits, cover and chill for at least one hour for flavors to blend.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine olive oil, garlic, and Creole seasoning in a small dish. Pour over bread cubes and gently toss to coat. Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes or so, for about 25 minutes, or until bread cubes are golden.
3. Season chicken however you like (I used some spicy garlic seasoning) and bake in a 375 oven until golden, about 25 minutes. Let rest for five minutes before cutting. Cut on the diagonal into bite sized pieces.
3. Place lettuce and croutons in a large bowl (I reserved some croutons for serving, and had leftover). Add dressing and chicken and toss to coat thoroughly. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

6 comments:

Macaroni and Cheesecake said...

I am super excited to have a healthier alternative to Caesar salad! Yeah! I love casear salads but never eat/make them because of all the calories. Thanks for posting this!

Colleen said...

I love making my own dressing - it just makes the salad taste so much fresher. This looks great!

Macaroni and Cheesecake said...

Thanks for the tip about the spice! I'm not too big on spicy stuff so thanks for letting me know. I think the white chocolate on the scones sounds fabulous! What a great idea!

J.L. Danger said...

900 calories?! Oh my god.

priscilla joy said...

Bruno is so cute sitting in that chair...he is getting much bigger! MM, food looks yummy.

Anonymous said...

This was delicious! I'm posting the recipe tomorrow! With link love, of course :) Thanks!