Caesar Salad recipe for summer

This classic recipe comes to you without croutons deep-fried in cottonseed oil.

The crispy bacon pieces are my (healthy!) crunchy crouton substitute. This is my daughters’ favourite salad and an easy way to get her to HAPPILY eat eggs. Full of healthy fats and protein, this is a great summer salad or perfect for brunch.

I have allowed 2 eggs per person in this recipe but if you are wanting a more protein-rich meal, feel free to increase the number of eggs to 2.5 or 3 per person.

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Ingredients:

Cos (aka romaine) lettuce leaves
4 pastured eggs
1 packet of bacon
2 tablespoons (approx. 20g) Reggiano Parmigiano (parmesan) cheese for sprinkling over salad
Unrefined salt
Cracked pepper

Caesar dressing ingredients:

5 anchovy fillets
4 tablespoons (40g) Reggiano Parmigiano (parmesan) cheese
2 cloves (10g) garlic
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/3 cup of extra virgin cold pressed olive oil

Directions:

Finely grate 60g Reggiano Parmigiano (parmesan) cheese in Thermomix (speed 9, 15 seconds) or hand grater. Put aside 40g for the dressing and 20g for sprinkling over the salad.

Hard boil the eggs by carefully lowering eggs into a saucepan of boiling water, simmering for exactly 8 minutes then straining and running them under plenty of cold water before peeling.

While the eggs are boiling, dice bacon and add to a very hot frying pan (no need to add any oil or fat as bacon is fatty enough) and sauté until crispy, stirring frequently. Alternatively, you can add diced bacon to an oven tray lined with baking paper and bake uncovered at 200C for 25 minutes or until crispy.

To make the Caesar dressing, process in Thermomix (speed 6, 20 secs) or in a small bowl with stick blender all of the dressing ingredients other than the olive oil. Once smooth, slowly drizzle the olive oil with the Thermomix or stick blender still running. If it’s too thick add a little more lemon juice.

Roughly chop the lettuce leaves and arrange in a serving dish. Cut eggs in half and arrange over the lettuce. Scatter the salad with the diced crispy pastured bacon pieces. Drizzle salad with Caesar dressing, sprinkle with additional grated Reggiano Parmigiano (parmesan) cheese, and season generously with cracked pepper and with a small amount of unrefined salt (if any) as bacon and parmesan are salty enough.

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side.

Cheese Puffs

These light and fluffy gluten-free savoury muffins are a terrific way to get some seriously nutrient-dense ingredients into kids. Great for lunch boxes, eat as a snack or as part of a meal.  As they are so nutrient-dense and full of healthy fats, they are very satiating, providing a steady stream of slow released stable energy. 

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Ingredients:

• 300g cheese (I use a combo of gruyere* raw milk cheese, Reggiano parmigiana* raw milk cheese and cheddar cheese)

• 170g activated savoury buckwheat*

• 4 eggs*

• 1 cup full fat milk

• 1 cup (250g) Greek style full fat yogurt 

• ½ cup extra virgin cold pressed olive oil*

• 100g (5 tablespoons) cream

• sesame seeds for decorating the top of the muffins (optional)

*sold at Broth Bar & Larder

Makes approx. 28 x50g muffins. Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days before requiring refrigeration. They can be frozen up to 3 months. 

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Directions if you have a Thermomix/food processor:

1. Process activated buckwheat in Thermomix (speed 9, 20 secs) or in a nut grinder/coffee grinder/spice grinder until it resembles a soft fine flour. Remove from Thermomix and add to a bowl. 

2. Grate the cheese by roughly chopping it and processing it in a food processor or Thermomix (speed 9, 15 secs).

3. Add the rest of the ingredients (including buckwheat flour but not sesame seeds) to the food processor or Thermomix and process until well mixed (Thermomix speed 6, 40 secs). The batter should be quite runny.

4. Pour batter into silicon muffin cases (approx. 50g in each muffin case) and scatter some sesame seeds on top if desired.

5. Bake at 150 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 

6. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Can be eaten warm or at room temperature.

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Directions if you don’t have a Thermomix/food processor:

1. Process activated buckwheat in a nut grinder/coffee grinder/spice grinder until it resembles a soft fine flour. Add to a large mixing bowl. 

2. Grate the cheese and add to the large mixing bowl. 

3. Beat the eggs with a stick blender until fluffy and add to the large mixing bowl.

4. Add the milk, olive oil, yogurt and cream to the large mixing bowl and stir until they are well combined to form a runny batter.

5. Pour batter into silicon muffin cases (approx. 50g in each muffin case) and scatter some sesame seeds on top if desired.

6. Bake at 150 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 

7. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Can be eaten warm or at room temperature.

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Variations: feel free to add chilli, paprika, finely chopped fresh herbs such as chives and parsley, or dried herbs to add a more distinctive flavour. 

If you make these Cheese Puffs please let me know what you think!

If you like this recipe you might also love my Cypriot Flaounes recipe and my Greek olive and mint loaf (Eliopita).

Kali Orexi (that’s Greek for good appetite). 

Love Soulla xx 

Greek olive and mint loaf (“Eliopita”)

I took my mama’s traditional recipe and “wholefoodised” it to make it gluten-free and maximise nutrient-density. The whole house reminds me of my mum when we bake this this. My kids LOVE it! I hope you do too!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups (250g) of activated savoury buckwheat

• 100g Reggiano Parmigiano (parmesan) cheese

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1 cup (250g) Greek style full fat yogurt 

• ½ cup extra virgin cold pressed olive oil

• 4 eggs

• 80g (3/4 cup) pitted black olives, roughly chopped, plus extra for decorating

• 1 bunch (approx. 50g) mint, roughly chopped, stems removed

Directions:

Process activated buckwheat in a nut grinder or Thermomix (speed 9, 20 seconds) until it resembles a soft fine flour and add it to a large mixing bowl. 

Beat the eggs with stick blender, or process in a food processor or Thermomix (speed 6, 20 seconds) until fluffy and add to the large mixing bowl.

Grate the cheese by processing it in a food processor or Thermomix (speed 9, 15 seconds) and add to the large mixing bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the large mixing bowl and stir until they are well combined to form a batter. 

Pour batter into a 20cm2 square cake tin or rectangular loaf tin lined with baking paper and decorate with a scattering of olives on top. 

Bake at 180 degrees for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean. This is the same cooking time if making a double batch in a larger cake tin (I use a 30cm x 30cm cake tin).

Place under heated grill element to brown the top of the slice (if required). 

Allow to cool before cutting into large square segments of about 10 cm2 (for square cake tin) or 1 inch slices (for loaf tin). Serve at room temperature.

Slices can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days before requiring refrigeration. They can be frozen up to 3 months. 

If you love this recipe you might also like to try my flaounes recipe which is another wholefoods spin on a traditional Cypriot family recipe.