Inspired by seasonal produce and Christmas I created this Fruity Caesar Salad & Shiitake Bacon on top. My version fruitier than the original. I added a low fat dressing for creaminess and a delicious salty crunch with the shiitake bacon. Just loving these colors!
Pomegranates are another favorite winter fruit of mine. Just bursting with nutrients and juicy, slightly acidic flavor makes this fruit a wonderful addition to salads. My sweet in this meal comes from the sliced pear. I made the dressing with hemp seeds to make it lower in fat. Another dressing I often use is this tahini based one which would also go good with this salad. The complete recipe is on the bottom of this post.
There are two kinds of pomegranates, the ones with pink arils/seeds are sweeter and the dark red ones which I prefer and use here for their amazing power.
The gorgeous color of the pomegranate seeds give away how much antioxidants they contain. A side effect of this is that it stains my nails, fingers and everything I spoil it on dark red color when cleaning hem. I finally found a way to keep the juice from my hands besides using plastic gloves haha. I now have been removing the seeds in a bowl of water and this technique works great.
Just a few benefits of pomegranates in a row, I just need to include these here,
- They contain three times as many antioxidants then green tea
- They also have anti-viral and anti-tumor properties
- Rich in vitamins, especially A, C and E as well as folic acid
- Useful to maintain and restore a healthy blood circulation
- Great for treating skin issues and sore throats
- Pomegranates are a great support in heart related problems, diabetes, cancer, stomach disorders, anemia and arthritis
I started by preparing a marinade for the sliced shiitake mushrooms. These mushrooms have a nice, intense flavor and this is enhanced by the sweet-salty-smokey marinade. I made the marinade with braggs aminos or tamari, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast and smoked paprika.
The mushrooms suck up all the flavor from the marinade and become nice and crunchy when baked.
The dressing has to be creamy but I prefer it to be lower in fat. I do of course use fat in my diet just not the refined kinds like oils. Oils are stripped from all nutrients and are in fact a refined food. I prefer using the whole product for my added fats like nuts, nut butter, young coconuts, avocado or seeds.
Hemp seeds are slightly nutty in flavor. They become creamy when blended with apple cider vinegar, mustard, maple syrup and nutritional yeast.
A traditional ceasar salad is made with butter lettuce and that can also be used here instead of the greens I chose. I did a mix of fresh spinach, lettuce and some dino kale for a change in flavor and texture.
Mix the salad leaves with some of the dressing and you can save the rest to drizzle it on top when served. Fold in the half of the sliced pear and a few tbsp pomegranate seeds. I love to serve this salad in a big flat bowl or on a big plate because this way you can make it pretty by adding some extra fruit and the shiitake bacon bits on top.
The sweet of the fruit, the salty bacon, the crunchy leaves and the creamy dressing make a delicious combination! You can use different fruits just keep the acidic and sweet flavors in balance, they just go so well together.
Getting in Christmas mood with meals like this!
Tina
You can watch here how I made this Fruity Caesar Salad & Shiitake Bacon,
Fruity Caesar Salad & Shiitake Bacon
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- 1 large pear
- 1 cup spinach leaves
- 2 cup lettuce leaves chopped or torn
- 2 cup dino kale
Shiitake Bacon
- 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 tbsp braggs aminos or tamari
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika powder
Hemp Dressing
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 to 1 tsp mustard
- 1 to 2 tbsp water
- 1/4 tsp dulse flakes
Instructions
- Slice the pear, clean the pomegranate and remove the seeds, wash and cut or tear the greens.
- Mix the ingredients for the marinade, add in the sliced mushrooms and let it sit for at least for 30 minutes.
- Bake the mushroom in a preheated oven on 340F until golden and crispy. Keep an eye on it, don’t let it burn.
- Blend the ingredients for the dressing until creamy. Add half to the salad, add half of the fruit and mix.
- Plate the salad with the remaining dressing, pear, pomegranate seeds and all the shiitake bacon on top. Njoy!
Fruitige Caesar Salad & Shiitake Bacon
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
- 8 eetlepels granaatappel zaadjes
- 1 grote peer
- 1 kop verse spinazie
- 2 kop sla blaadjes gescheurd of gesneden
- 2 kop palmkool gesneden
Shiitake Bacon
- 1 kop gesneden shiitake paddestoelen
- 1 eetlepel voedingsgist
- 1 eetlepel ahorn siroop
- 1 eetlepels tamari of soja saus
- 1 eetlepel citroensap
- 1 eetlepel appel cider azijn
- 1/2 tl. gerookte paprika poeder
Dressing
- 2 eetlepels hennepzaden
- 1 eetlepel citroensap
- 1 eetlepel appel cider azijn
- 1/2 tot 1 tl. mosterd
- 1/4 tl. dulse vlokken
- 1 eetlepel voedingsgist
- 1 eetlepel ahorn siroop
- 1 tot 2 eetlepels water
Instructions
- Snijd de peer in plakjes, maak de granaatappel schoon en snijd of scheur de groene blaadjes
- Meng alle ingrediënten voor de marinade, voeg de gesneden paddestoelen toe en laat het minimaal 30 minuten marineren.
- Bak ze in een voorverwarmde oven op 170C tot ze bruin zijn. In de gaten houden zodat ze niet verbranden.
- Blend alle ingrediënten voor de dressing.
- Giet de helft van de dressing over de blaadjes. Voeg er de helft van de fruit aan toe, omscheppen.
- Serveer de salade met de rest van het fruit, dressing en de bacon als topping aan toe te voegen.
