In The Kitchen With Kanta :Fresh Caesar salad with a tangy sweet dressing

I am in Zambia right now and the other day I decided to eat out. I was craving a fresh crunchy salad, because it was just too hot to eat a hot meal. So, I ordered a Caesar salad with an ice cold Fanta (because nothing beats Zambian Fanta) and I have got to say that I was very impressed. Not only was the portion of my salad large, but the flavours and the ingredients were superb. I’ve never had a Caesar salad that tasted that good. The chicken was juicy and tender, the avocado, lettuce, onions and tomatoes married together effortlessly and complimented each other perfectly; and the dressing…Oh my Lord…the dressing was to die for, sweet, tangy, mouth-watering!! Needless to say I was so impressed that I rushed to the supermarket, bought the ingredients and made it at home. – it’s been Caesar salad every day since, and boy do I feel healthy; I am very pleased with myself and if healthy eating always tasted this good then I would do this all time. Anyway of course I couldn’t end the week without sharing this lovely little gem with you all. You must, must, must try this at home; I promise you won’t regret it

Preparation & Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 1 person

Ingredients

For the salad

•  ¼ of a large onion sliced
•  ½ an avocado, skin peeled, deseeded and sliced
•  1 medium-large tomato chopped
•  ½ a cucumber sliced
•  ½ a head of Lettuce
•  2 handfuls of chicken breast, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp of Paprika
•  1 tsp of salt

For the salad dressing

•  2 tbsps of mayonnaise
•  1 clove garlic, peeled
•  1 tsp of soy sauce
•  1 teaspoon of honey or sugar
•  ½ tsp of red chilli flakes
•  A pinch of salt

Method

Make the dressing – in a blender or food processor, blend the garlic, soy sauce, honey, red pepper flakes, and sea salt together until smooth and creamy. Leave it to cool in the refrigerator.

Marinate the chicken with paprika and salt. Place the chicken in the grill on a high heat; cook on both sides until it is brown on the outside and cooked through, 15-20 minutes.

Wash your lettuce and other veggies. In a bowl mix together the lettuce, cucumber, avocado, tomato and onion. Add your pieces of chicken and drizzle your tangy salad dressing over the top.

Serving

Add salt to taste and enjoy this fresh and crunchy Caesar salad, with a lovely cool soft drink. To make more, just double up on ingredients, making sure you increase the amount of each ingredient proportionately. You can make plenty of this salad in advance and eat it as the week goes. It is perfect for a healthy snack, lunch or dinner, and particularly for those of you who are on your health kick this year.

Kanta Temba is a cake maker and decorator. She is also the owner and founder of Kanta Kakes – cake shop.

You can find her work on www.kantakakes.com.  Follow her on twitter @KantaKakes and Instagram @KantaTemba.