Usually after a holiday or a few days of eating rich and fried foods, I come home craving a big bowl of salad and adding more vegetables to my diet. Last year my family and I took a weeks holiday in Wexford and we ate a LOT of fish and chips and less vegetables than myself and Alex would normally eat in a week.
When I came back, all I wanted was all the salad and vegetables I could get my hands on. I nipped to the shops and bought a whole lot. One of my favourite salads is the Caesar salad, crisp lettuce, rich dressing and yummy crispy bacon and salty Parmesan cheese. I just love this combination and would eat this usually every week.
I took this classic salad and changed it up a little and am delighted I did. This tenderstem broccoli and asparagus Caesar salad is so good. While Cos lettuce is still high in nutrients, subbing it with tenderstem and asparagus increases the dishes fibre and protein content but without compromising the flavour. I have been eating this on repeat for the last 6 months.
I also love that my son will eat this, not in salad form as he still doesn’t favour things mixed together but he will eat the roasted tenderstem and might even eat the asparagus (if they are aren’t overcooked) and of course he just loves the bacon.
TENDERSTEM BROCCOLI AND ASPARAGUS CAESAR SALAD
Just like throwing together a regular Caesar salad, this dish is just as simple. It just takes an extra 5 minutes to roast the greens. The crispy roasted edges of the tenderstem add a lovely extra flavour dimension to the salad. Roasting for a short time at a high heat chars the greens and just cooks them so they still have some bite. Just perfect!
- 220 g of Tenderstem broccoli and asparagus
- 1 tbsp of Caesar dressing
- 1 tsp of milk, optional
- 3 slices of crispy bacon, chopped up
- 20 g Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated or shaved
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
THE HOW
Heat the oven to 220°C (fan oven) and pop a baking try in to heat. You want it to be really hot to roast the greens and get a nice toasty flavour.
Rub or mix the greens with the olive oil.
When the oven is at temp, take the tray out and lay the tenderstem and asparagus out and season with salt and pepper.
Pop into the oven for roughly 5 minutes. Any longer and the greens go too soft.
Once roasted, allow to cool.
I like to thin my Caesar dressing down and mix the dressing with the 1tsp of milk so it is a little lighter and smoother. But this is just my preference.
Toss the tenderstem and asparagus in the dressing and put in a bowl.
Top with the crispy bacon and parmesan and because I have thinned down the dressing, I can drizzle the remainder over the top and add a last grind of black pepper.
So so delicious and feels like a totally different salad.
Kitchen Feasts 
Very appetizing!