I just wrote this eloquent write up and it all disappeared into the ether. So I will be brief. It was a not-home-til-6-pm night here, and so I whipped this baby up. It's a somewhat busy set up, but if you have a few set of hands to help out on different tasks, I think you'll get it done in no time flash. This is a favourite from my mother-in-law who serves this every summer when we are out at the cabin; it's a true crowd pleaser, and the soggy leftovers make for a good lunch the next day. Would I lie to you?
The original recipe.
I tweaked the original recipe in order to up the nutritional ante and make this one nutrient-dense. Let's start with the base:
1 head romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
Any greens from the garden or crisper you're looking to get rid of (I used sorrel and radish sprouts)
4 tomatoes, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced (Thanks local lovelies Broxburn for the good veg!)
3 green onions, sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
Mix together and set aside. (Know that you can add any other kind of veggies you have on hand; I've done it with shredded beets, snap peas, tomatillos, I mean the sky is the limit.)
Meanwhile, heat up a fry pan on the stovetop and add:
1 pound of ground beef (preferably free range or organic)
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
Saute until cooked through.
Add
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
pinch of salt and pepper
When sautéed nicely, set aside to cool.
Next up, make the Caesar Salad dressing from Day 4 (recipe here) minus the garlic, and add a bit more lemon.
To this, add:
1/2 cup creme fraiche (substitute sour cream if you can't find or make your own creme fraiche)
2 tbsp ketchup (I like to use my fermented ketchup or you could use some fermented salsa too)
Add this dressing to the salad, along with the cooled seasoned ground beef and mix all together. On top, it's optional but you can add extra crunch by adding either crushed up kale chips, or like we did, a bag of these beans & rice chips. A nice sprouted corn chip would also be tasty. Play with your food!
Next up, sit down, and maybe have some hot sauce on hand. You know what I'm going to say. I use one that I ferment myself. (Who wants to host a class?) But it's just because I found a steal of a deal on a shwack of hot peppers from The Apple Lady. (Thanks Liisa!) But you can use whatever is your favourite hot sauce and know that it will indeed, kick it up a notch. Tuck in my friend. And come up for air once in a while. Otherwise I'll miss your face.
