With summer-like weather here, it is officially salad season! Eric & I are both partial to Caesar salads. Like many people, I always assumed this type of salad consisting of romaine lettuce with croutons and Parmesan cheese that is dressed with a blend of lemon juice, olive oil, egg, anchovies, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper got its name from Julius Caesar. Turns out, that is a fallacy. The salad and dressing were created (and named after) an Italian-American restaurateur in the 1920s who owned and operated a restaurant in Mexico.

There are many variations of Caesar dressing out there. I prefer the vinaigrette style ones while Eric goes for the creamy ones. I recently started making our own dressings. It doesn’t take a lot of time or effort to make, it uses ingredients I already have on hand and we avoid the added preservatives, color, and high fructose corn syrup in bottled versions. Here are the two dressings we like.

Caesar Vinaigrette Dressing

Caesar Vinaigrette (adapted from allrecipes.com)  Time
Required: 15 minutes, Makes 1 cup of dressing, about 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from about 1/2 lemon)
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Add all the ingredients to the cup of a wand blender and blend until smooth. Store in the refrigerator, shaking well before using.

Combine the ingredients in the cup of a wand blender.

Blend it all together.

For Linda’s salads.

(To make without a wand blender: Stir the white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, sugar, oregano, basil, salt, and black pepper together in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Stir in the garlic. Add the Parmesan cheese just before serving.)

Creamy Caesar Dressing

Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing (adapted from realsimple.com) Time Required: 15 minutes, Makes 1½ cups of dressing, about 16 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Add the yogurt, Dijon, garlic, lemon juice, oil, Parmesan cheese, salt, and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper to the cup of a wand blender. Blend until thoroughly combined. Keep refrigerated.

Blend all the ingredients together.

Eric prefers a creamy version.

Eric’s lunch is ready!

(To make without a wand blender: Whisk together the yogurt, Dijon, garlic, lemon juice, oil, and Parmesan in a large bowl. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper.)

Enjoy salad season by making your own dressing!  ~Linda

Caesar Vinaigrette (adapted from allrecipes.com)  Tiem
Required: 15 minutes, Makes 1 cup of dressing, about 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from about 1/2 lemon)
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Add all the ingredients to the cup of a wand blender and blend until smooth. Store in the refrigerator, shaking well before using.

(To make without a wand blender: Stir the white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, sugar, oregano, basil, salt, and black pepper together in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Stir in the garlic. Add the Parmesan cheese just before serving.)

Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing (adapted from realsimple.com) Time Required: 15 minutes, Makes 1½ cups of dressing, about 16 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Add the yogurt, Dijon, garlic, lemon juice, oil, Parmesan cheese, salt, and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper to the cup of a wand blender. Blend until thoroughly combined. Keep refrigerated.

(To make without a wand blender: Whisk together the yogurt, Dijon, garlic, lemon juice, oil, and Parmesan in a large bowl. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper.)