Quick Kale and Avocado Caesar Salad
Hello BowFlex Family! I am here to share another salad recipe with you. I know this sounds simple, and it is, but I wanted to share it because once again it has my own personal spin to it. First off, this one uses Kale as the salad base instead of the traditional romaine lettuce. Not sure about you, but my kids and sister don’t really like romaine, yet love Caesar salads. Using different lettuce bases ensure the whole salad gets consumed vs things being left over. My spin on using Kale as a salad base is that I lightly boil it first. This softens up the fibrous leaves and I find much more enjoyable.
This recipe also includes the same Caesar Salad dressing I use for my Kid Friendly Caesar Salad Sans Anchovies and Egg. I love this salad dressing not only for the safety of not using egg or anchovies as the binding agent, but because the flavor is lighter and brighter than most caesar dressings.
Kale and Avocado Caesar Salad
Prep time: 5
Cook time: 20
Total time: 25 minutes
What You Need
Homemade Croutons:
- 8 ounces of any day-old bread you have, I have a few mixtures (rye, sourdough, and a French bread)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Kid Friendly Caesar Dressing:
- 1/2 tablespoon juice of lemon
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated, more to taste
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (thank you spell check!)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- salt and ground pepper to taste
Salad Base:
- 12 oz of fresh Kale
- 2 ripe avocados cut into large wedges
- 1/4 cup freshly shaved Parmesan cheese
What You Will Do
To make the croutons:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Cut the bread into small cubes. Transfer cubed bread to a foul lined baking sheet.
- Drizzle the bread with the olive oil and then sprinkle with garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
- Using your hands, gently toss the croutons and make sure they are coated with the oil and seasonings.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.
To make the dressing:
- First mix the base of olive oil, vinegar, Dijon, lemon, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic.
- Whisk together until fully blended. You know it’s done when the Dijon is emulsified.
- Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
- Then gently whisk in half of the Parmesan cheese mixture.
To prepare the salad:
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted (3 tablespoons) water to a boil.
- Fill a large mixing bowl with a mixture of ice and water.
- When the pot of water boils, add the kale in batches. After 5 seconds remove with tongs and place in the ice water. Remove from the ice water and dry in batches with paper towels or a kitchen towel.
- Transfer the lettuce and kale to large bowl and add the dressing and toss to coat. Add the croutons, sliced avocado, and top the salad with more parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Now the Last thing you have to do as my daughter would say is Eat, Eat.