Kale Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing and Garlic Parmesan Croutons

So other than the awesome BBQ grilling that is summer, it's also...salad season!!! Too hot to cook but you still need some serious substance in your dinner right? I usually tend to go for more of a refrigerator style salad (AKA this Loaded Chopped Veggie Salad) but sometimes you gotta keep classic...with a twist of course! Instead of straight up romaine, how about a Kale Caesar Salad with homemade dressing AND garlic parmesan croutons from scratch?? (FYI those croutons? 4 ingredients, 15 minutes ????). 

Remember in my last post how I was complaining about my having lost my voice for the past couple weeks and that hopefully I would kick it soon? Well. NO such luck. Full blown cold...in the middle of June: pounding head, no voice, exhaustion, sneezing, coughing, all just at the start of summer. So unbelievably rude.

The worst thing about a cold? (Other than, you know, everything) Nothing sounds good to eat and it's so depressing. In case you haven't noticed, I LOVE food and I need it in my life all day every day. So when nothing sounds good to eat, life just plain stinks. However, there is literally one thing, ONE thing, that still sounds tasty...you may have guessed it  -> Kale Caesar Salad.

The kale in this salad certainly does add a little taste of that "healthy living" we're all after, especially when sick with the world's stupidest cold. And that tangy dressing manages to cut through the fog of a stuffed up nose and pounding head. Also, caesar salad dressing?? SO easy!!

The secret ingredient: Don't skimp on that anchovy paste. Without it, the flavor just won't be the same. Other than that, you probably have had all the ingredients for a homemade kale caesar salad dressing in your fridge and didn't know it! Another little secret: traditionally made with just lemon juice, I added a little lime juice as well. Something about lime works wonders with kale, even just a hint!

Real quick: Did you know croutons are ridiculously easy to make? Like SOOO easy!! The most basic version: Olive oil, salt, pepper, and a hearty bread. I went with a multigrain French baguette for a little deeper flavor and chose to snaz my croutons up a bit with some garlic and Parmesan cheese because I go crazy over those at the store. However, I will never go back to store bought croutons after this. It's literally 4 ingredients plus salt and pepper tossed in a bowl and baked for 15 minutes: torn up baguette (preferably a little stale if you have it! great way to use up leftover bread), olive oil, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese.

Seriously: Mind. blown. I'm known to rip open a bag of croutons and eat them like chips...Yes. That's how ridiculous I am. So that should tell you just how awesome homemade croutons are, because I'm never buying a bag from the store again.

Oooookay. I'm going to go rest this throbbing head. In the meantime, do your self a solid. Kale Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing and Garlic Parmesan Croutons. Ready?

GO!

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