Spicy Avocado Caesar Salad

Take your ordinary caesar salad, and jazz it up with spicy Serrano peppers, creamy avocado, fragrant cilantro and fresh citrusy lime–and you will get the BEST caesar salad EVER!

In order to make this awesome version of the caesar salad, you must know how to make the slightly boring and ordinary caesar salad. And please don’t use store-bought dressing. It will ruin the taste, and there is no reason to spend $4 on a bottle of dressing when you can make your own in just a couple of minutes.

Up until about a year ago I had no idea caesar salad dressings contained egg yolks and anchovies. I have since learned to love anchovies, but I still have a hard time with the eggs.  The thought of raw eggs makes me a little queazy, to say the least. Even so, I have made the traditional recipe multiple times and I must admit, the dressing is great–but I can’t seem can’t enjoy it. So, I like to omit the yolks and it tastes just as good. If you don’t mind raw eggs, however, feel free to add one to the recipe. It does make it a bit creamy, and you can omit the sour cream. Although the avocado in the dressing already makes it very creamy. You could get away with omitting both the egg and the sour cream to make it lighter and healthier.

Unfortunately, most people reading this probably will have a problem with the anchovies, though. But let me just tell you they are not at all fishy. Their role in the dressing gives it a unique and salty depth of flavor that you just can’t replace with anything else. So don’t be a chicken and give it a chance. And remember, if you’ve ever ordered this salad in a restaurant chances are that you enjoyed the anchovies on there.

Caesar Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp anchovy paste or 1-2 anchovy filets
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 tbsp sour cream
• Salt + pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
• 2-3 tbsp Olive oil

Spicy Zesty Component:

• 1/2 handful cilantro
• Chopped serrano or jalapeno pepper, to taste
• 1/4 – 1/2 avocado
• And maybe a bit more lime.

NOTE: You may want to double the recipe. This makes 2-4 servings.

Dressing Directions:

1. Put everything into blender except olive oil. Blend for 30 seconds. Slowly add olive oil until you have the desired consistency.

Salad Ingredients:

• Romaine lettuce, chopped
• Croutons
• Either shredded parmesan/romano/asiago cheese
• Avocado