Caesar Salad? Oh Hail Yes!

There is a lot to love about Caesar salad. The crispness of the fresh romaine lettuce, the crunch of the croutons and the zestiness of the lemon.  One thing is for sure, what really distinguishes the great ones from the so-so ones has got to be the dressing!  A great Caesar Salad Dressing is complex and layered, tangy and savory, with a variety of flavors and textures that, when done right, can be genius! So let’s go on a Caesar journey!    

Let’s go back to the beginning - The origins of the Caesar Salad 

Believe it or not, the Caesar salad has nothing to do with Julius Caesar. The Caesar salad you know and love today was actually invented in Mexico, not Italy as you may have thought.  History says that Caesar Cardini invented the Caesar Salad in 1924 by improvising with what few supplies he had on hand to feed patrons at his restaurant in Tijuana. Cardini's original recipe had six simple components -- full stalks of lettuce, raw egg, olive oil, croutons, parmesan cheese, and Worcestershire sauce. Caesar dressing had yet to be invented. Today, different variations of Caesar salad and Caesar dressing can be found all around the world. 

From Mexico to the Grocery Store: The store-bought Caesar Dressing Dilemma 

There is no shortage of dressing brands on the shelves of grocery stores around the world today. But be warned that most of them contain ingredients that would probably bring Caesar Cardini to his kneesMost store bought dressings contain a lot more than the 6 simple ingredients the dressing started with. These include things like xanthan gum, refined sugar, corn syrup, modified starch, acacia gum, guar gum and refined highly processed oils like soybean or canola oil. If you ask us, these are ingredients we do not want to find in our Caesar dressing. Also, for those who have dairy sensitivities, don’t eat eggs or who follow a strict plant-based diet, they may believe their Caesar Salad glory days are over. But don’t fret, we here at Mother Raw have you covered. We have created a dairy-free, plant based Caesar dressing that is free from all the unnatural additives you may find in others. 

Mother Raw Caesar Dressing to the rescue 

Enter Mother Raw Caesar DressingMade with the goodness of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, capers, nutritional yeast and a touch of dulse, this dressing is a lifesaver and show-stopper.  I personally go through at least a bottle a week.  

Not only is it yummy on a salad, it’s an amazing marinade with the one-two punch of acidity and knock-out flavor, it will take your tofu to new heights and make your roasted potatoes sing. Check out some of my favorite ways to use it: 

Recipes

Smashed Caesar Potatoes  

Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad  

And, if you love traditional Caesar Dressing, then our new Mother Raw Roasted Garlic Caesar may just bring you to tears because it is that darn good. Check out this tasty Roasted Garlic Caesar Kale Pasta Salad recipe for a fresh new take on a classic!  

Viva la Caesar!  

Written by: Kristi Knowles 

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