Growing Lettuce and Caesar Salad Dressing

The lettuce in our garden has done so well this summer.

We have not had the deer invasion like last summer.

And, the weather has really been working in our favor. There has been plenty of rain, but not too much rain. It hasn’t been super, super hot like it sometimes can be in mid July. And, it looks like the cooler temperatures are going to continue into next week with a summertime “Polar Vortex.”

So weird.

But, if it gives me more lettuce and temperatures don’t dip below seventy degrees, I’ll take it!

Growing lettuce is really easy and really rewarding. Adam and I started a few lettuce heads from seeds in the basement and transplanted them into the ground after the threat of frost. Then, we planted more seeds straight into the ground.

Lettuce grows quickly and what is so great about it is that, if you cut lettuce heads the right way, it regenerates and grows back.

Cut or slice with a clean knife and pair of shears at the crown of the lettuce head.

In a few days it will begin growing again like this one.

I have been enjoying salads everyday for lunch this summer thanks to the great and superabundant lettuce. It is awesome to eat the lettuce I cut just minutes before, knowing how it was grown and cared for.

Of the foods that I care how they were grown, packaged and stored, lettuce may top the list. It is often recalled for things like E. Coli and listeria and sprayed in order for the leaves to stay fresh until they hit the grocery store shelves.  

Yuck.

Another food product I tend to avoid is salad dressing. There are dyes, artificial flavors (… why make fake flavors when there are so many good ones naturally?!), and tons of unnecessary sugar.

Because of this I typically just top my salads with red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar. But, to be totally real, that can get old… fast.

There are many times that I long for the creaminess in Ranch or Caesar.

So, thanks to our big green heads of romaine, I made Chicken Caesar Salad with our backyard chicken from last fall, our lettuce and this great homemade Caesar Salad Dressing.

Adam claims this is the best salad dressing he as ever had. He loves the salty, savory flavor it gets from the anchovies… But, if anchovies freak you out you don’t have to put them in.

Caesar Salad Dressing

2014-07-13 16:23:55

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Ingredients

1. 2 ounces shaved Parmesan
2. 1 large garlic clove
3. 1/4 cup of mayo
4. Juice from one lemon
5. 2 Tbs of water
6. 3 Tbs Olive Oil
7. 1 Tbs of Dijon Mustard
8. 2 tsp of anchovy paste or two anchovy fillets thinly sliced
9. 1 Tbs of Worcestershire
10. Generous pinch of black pepper

Instructions

1. Put parmesan and garlic into a food processor. Process until combined.
2. Add ingredients in a food processor. Process until creamy and smooth.
3. Place in a container and put in the refrigerator for at least one hour in order for the flavors to combine.

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