From the Sugar Happy Kitchen- Caesar Salad with 5.1 Net Carbs

By Nadia Al-Samarie

If you think the Caesar salad was created in Italy, your line of thought is like most. Although the salad did not come from Southern Europe, an Italian restaurateur created the recipe out of desperation. It was the 4th of July in 1924 when the Caesar Hotel in Tijuana, Mexico, ran out of ingredients for their patrons. During prohibition, affluent Americans crossed the Mexican border from San Diego, California, to drink and gamble. So, in a pinch, Caesar Cardini combined what he had in the kitchen to create a salad that has become one of the most popular salads in America. 

 

The traditional way in making the salad is to use whole romaine lettuce leaves, tossed with the dressing and sprinkled with croutons and freshly grated parmesan. The salad is meant to be eaten by picking up the romaine leaves with your hand. Just as if you were going to eat a piece of pizza. 

My keto version includes some of the traditional ingredients with variations. I don’t use salt, pepper, dijon mustard, or Worcestershire sauce. Instead, I use an egg yoke that restaurants removed from their dressing in California as it was banned by Public Health officials fearing salmonella poisoning from raw, cracked eggs.

 

Ingredients for Salad Dressing

2 oz of anchovies

1 tablespoon of fresh garlic

8 tablespoons of sherry wine vinegar

4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

One egg yolk

8 oz of olive oil

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

 

Ingredients for Croutons

1 loaf of keto bread (1.35 pounds)

1 cup extra virgin olive 

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1/8 the teaspoon of pepper

 

Instructions for Croutons

Preheat oven to 375 F

Cube one loaf of keto bread and place in a bowl

Mix olive oil, garlic salt, pepper and pour over cubed keto bread in the bowl. Spread the seasoned cubed bread on two baking pans

Bake for 10 minutes or until brown.

 

Instructions for Romaine Lettuce

Wash and dry three heads of romaine lettuce. Remove the outer leaves, leaving the crisp inner leaves to be chilled. Place the clean inner leaves in a towel and chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

 

Instructions for Dressing Caesar Salad

Place 2 ounces of anchovies without the canning oil, garlic, sherry, white wine vinegar, lemon, olive oil, and mix in a blender. Pour the dressing in a jar as you will only use a quarter cup of the dressing the first time.

 In a clean blender, add 1/4 cup of the dressing, one egg yolk, and blend.

 

To Serve Salad

Place chilled lettuce leaves in a large bowl, add the dressing blended with the egg yolk, croutons, and toss.

Place dressed romaine leaves and croutons on a platter, grate 1/4 cup of fresh parmesan over the romaine leaves and croutons, then serve.

 

Nutrition Facts:

Serving Size 14

5.1 Net Carbs per Serving

273 Calorie, Total Fat 26.3g, Saturated Fat 5.2g, Cholesterol 27mg, Sodium 293mg, Total Carbohydrates 6.3g, Fiber 1.2g, Total Sugar 2.0 g, Protein 6.1g 

Glycemic Index low

Glycemic Load – low