I have always loved Caesar Salad, but recently, I have been taking classic Caesar Salad and giving it a modern twist to create an Avocado Caesar Salad. Before you take a look at the photo and think that the salad doesn't have any avocado - the secret is that it is in the dressing! Let me teach you this simple hack that turns a simple bag of caesar salad into something a little more special.
Quick timeout - I would love it if you could take a moment to complete my annual reader's survey. I am trying to make sure that I am bringing you the content that you want.
I know that most people try to eat healthier during the summer months. Instead of eliminating foods from my diet, I try to focus on eating more vegetables. That way I don't feel like I am limiting myself, I am just making sure I eat the healthy stuff first.
This recipe starts with a lite caesar salad kit - you know, the bags of salad that are sold at your grocery store. Grab one of those, plus a ripe avocado, some grape tomatoes, a bit of grated pecorino cheese, and either some chicken breasts or a rotisserie chicken.
The process of making this Avocado Caesar Salad is simple. Place half of the avocado in a blender with a touch of salt, a bit of water, and the salad dressing packing from the caesar salad kit. Blend away, adding more water if necessary. The avocado adds flavor to the dressing while adding to its creamy consistency.
I like this salad because it is hearty enough to keep my full. The additional protein from the chicken makes this enough for me to eat for dinner. Without the chicken, I will be hungry again in two hours. I like to add tomatoes just because I think they pair nicely with the other ingredients in the salad.
One thing to know about this salad is that the avocado caesar dressing will not keep for long. You want to eat this salad all at once. If you want you could add some bacon or crispy prosciutto to this salad. A poached egg would be delicious on top too!
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts or 2 cups shredded Rotisserie Chicken
- 1 bag of Lite Caesar Salad
- 1 Avocado
- about ¼ cup Water
- ¼ cup Salt
- 1 cup Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons Pecorino
Instructions
- First prepare the chicken. If you are cooking chicken breasts, I usually just season them with salt and pepper, sear them over high heat with olive oil, and then cover the skillet and simmer on low for an addition 10 minutes. If you want to save yourself some effort and mess you can just buy a rotisserie chicken - I do this all the time.
- Next you want to prepare the salad dressing. Place the dressing packing in a blender along with half of the avocado, the water, and the salt. Blend until smooth, add additional water if the dressing is too thick (every avocado is slightly different in size so if you get a big avocado you might need to add some more water).
- Slice the tomatoes and place them in a large bowl with the lettuce. Add the about half of the dressing and toss together. Add more dressing if you like.
- Plate the salad and add the chicken, cheese, and croutons on top. Serve immediately.
