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It’s a summer classic!

Who doesn’t love a good Caesar salad when the romaine is garden fresh, the croutons are toasty crisp, the Parmesan is salty and plentiful, and the dressing is tangy, lemony, and nicely briny? Just add some grilled chicken on a steamy summer evening, pour yourself a frosty beer or wine cooler, and dig in to this perfect hot summer treat.

Or, as we do here, pile up a batch of luscious grilled shrimp with some shredded romaine, some pickled onions, and your homemade Caesar dressing on warm tortillas and treat the family to the best fish tacos EVER!

That’s how we do it.

The Caesar palette is something with which we’re all familiar; fresh, crisp romaine, shaved Parmesan, garlicky croutons—you do make your own, right?—and that classic salty dressing. It just cries out for a cold beer in a frosty mug, doesn’t it?

But ah, you say, the dressing! Mayo, egg yolk, oil? Healthy?

Here’s a different take; it’s creamy and delicious, and I guarantee your guests will never know the difference.

We’ve eliminated the mayo and egg, reduced the amount of oil, and come up with a perfect Caesar dressing for the 21st century, when getting healthy is something that will serve all of us well.

But can’t that dressing be fussy? I say, NOPE! Just grab a food processor, dump, and Voilà! Tangy heaven. Here’s the scoop…

Ingredients:

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Juice from 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, sliced thin (do not smash it)

½ tablespoon Dijon mustard (we use stone-ground Dijon)

2 anchovy filets (don’t skip the anchovies—anchovy paste from a tube works well here—about a 2-inch ribbon)

1 tablespoon GOOD extra-virgin olive oil

5 tablespoons 0% fat Greek yogurt

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper (more than you think you need)

Preparation:

Simply dump all the ingredients into a food processor–it’s just the right amount for a mini-chopper–and whiz until it’s smooth. That’s it!

It works out really well to make the dressing in the morning and allow the flavors to marry, but it’s not necessary.

Shrimp Tacos

And if you want it, here’s the fast scoop on the tacos: Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; melt butter and oil in a large skillet, saute one pound of shrimp, two minutes on each side, in butter and olive oil; add some lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, and freshly chopped parsley, and toss to combine. Turn off the heat. Then pile the shrimp, salad, and some pickled red onions on warm tortillas (flour tortillas are better for this recipe), and serve immediately.

Mmmmm Mmmmm Good!

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