My kids are crazy about croutons and Caesar salad. This has been going on for a few months. They eat croutons straight out of the bag. Their eyes light up when they see me chopping greens for their favorite salad. That’s great, right? I’ve got three kids regularly chowing down on greens; even arguing over who gets the last serving. Momma heaven. Almost. the nutritionally-wanting romaine, high-fat dressing, and white bread croutons are not exactly a blueprint for an all-star Caesar salad. I knew I could do better.
First, it was time to tackle the greens. I’ve got nothing against romaine – it’s what I like to call a gateway green. It’s mild-tasting, somewhat crunchy, and kids tend to like it. It has a decent nutrition profile including good doses of vitamin A, folate, and vitamin K. Napa cabbage is similar in crunch, and has only the mildest of cabbage flavors, BUT it rocks the nutrition with triple the vitamin C content, and 5 times the amount of calcium. So, now, I simply make the salad with 1/2 Napa, 1/2 romaine, and suddenly we’ve got a salad starter to rival any pile of baby greens or mesclun mix. The whole family loves it.
Next, it was time to ditch those store-bought white bread croutons. Blecch. Who needs ’em? Making your own whole-wheat croutons is so easy, you’re going to be wondering why you haven’t thought of this before.
1: Throw all the heels to your whole wheat (or any whole grain) breads in a bag in the freezer.
2: When you have 8-10 slices, partially defrost and cut them into bite-sized chunks.
3: Toss them with olive oil, Parmesan and spices.
4: Bake them in the oven until hard and crispy.
5: Store in airtight container, where they’ll keep for 2 months.
What to do about the high-fat dressing? Truthfully, I’m leaving that one alone for now. My kids love Newman’s Own Creamy Caesar, and I apply it sparingly. At 18 grams of fat per serving, I’m grateful that almost all of it is unsaturated. It’s not so spicy that it scares away the littlest one, but flavorful enough to keep the rest of our palates happy. That’s a win-win as far as I’m concerned 🙂
So, here’s my take on a nutritionally souped-up Caesar salad, for the whole family to enjoy.
Napa Caesar Salad with Homemade Whole Wheat Croutons
Serves 4 (as a side salad)
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 0 minutes (if croutons already made)
2 cups chopped Napa cabbage
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup whole wheat croutons (recipe below)
Newman’s Own Creamy Caesar dressing
Toss all ingredients except the croutons in a salad bowl. Portion out into four small bowls, top with croutons and a sprinkle more of Parmesan if desired.
Homemade Whole Wheat Croutons
Yields 8 cups
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: ~ 25 minutes
8 cups whole wheat (or any whole grain) bread cubes
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
In a large mixing bowl, toss the bread cubes with the olive oil. Do this 1-2 tablespoons at a time, tossing between each addition to make sure each cube of bread has a little oil on it. Add the Parmesan, garlic powder, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Taste a cube of bread and adjust seasonings as needed.
Spread the cubes out on a baking sheet, making sure they are not piled too much on top of each other. Use 2 baking sheets if necessary. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the bread cubes are hard and crunchy.
Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
{Phew! Made it! This was Blog Post, take 2 — my sweet, 16-year-old Siamese cat deleted the entire post earlier this morning. She’s lucky she still has some of her 9 lives left.}
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