Pesto Caesar Salad

When I think of caesar salad Red Lobster comes to mind. Their salad has a perfect crunch and is incredibly well chilled. It makes for a perfect starter to the meal. I don't order caesar salads elsewhere when we dine out. It's just not the same.

You can imagine how giddy I was when I saw a recipe for this Pesto Caesar Salad in the Flat Belly Diet Cookbook. I have never attempted to make a caesar salad at home from scratch before. This recipe with the pesto takes the flavor profile over the top. Crisp romaine lettuce with hard boiled eggs whites and crunchy parmesan cheese tortillas pieces are tossed in the pesto casear dressing. A truly crave worthy salad. Yummy!

The Pesto Caesar Salad makes a great lunch and could easily be made into a more substantial dinner when paired with a protein of choice. If you are making it to take for lunch just be sure to keep the lettuce, tortilla strips, and dressing separate until you are ready to eat.

This salad is a great recipe to have on hand to switch up the usual lunch rotation. This takes a standard caesar salad and takes it to new heights with added flavor without the extra calories and fat. A sure winner!

Pesto Caesar Salad

Flat Belly Diet Cookbook

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 10" flour tortilla
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp grated romano cheese
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp pesto
• 1/2 tsp anchovy paste or Thai fish sauce - I used fish sauce since I couldn't find anchovy paste at the store.
• 6 cups torn romaine lettuce
• ground black pepper

And Action:

Preheat the broiler.

Brush the tortilla with a small amount of the oil. Sprinkle with the cheese. Place on a sheet of foil. Broil 6" from the heat source for about 1 minute or until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and cut into small pieces. I cut mine into quarters and ate them like crackers instead. Set aside.

Peel the eggs and halve lengthwise. Remove the yolks and discard one yolk. Save it for another recipe. Coarsely chop the whites. Set aside.

Use a fork to mash the yolk in a large bowl. Add the remaining oil, lemon juice, pesto, and anchovy paste or fish sauce. Whisk until smooth. Add the romaine and egg whites. Toss to coat. Season with the ground black pepper.

Scatter the tortilla pieces over the salad before serving.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

MUFA: Olive oil

Calories: 260

Protein: 7 g

Carbohydrates: 13 g

Fat: 21 g

Saturated Fat: 4 g

Cholesterol: 109 mg

Sodium: 225 mg

Fiber: 3 g

I will be marking #22 off my "Stir The Pot" page. 7 down, 17 to go.