Caesar Salad

Tonight's salad was an excellent choice for this week's menu. After two nights of meat dishes, it was very refreshing to have a non-meat dinner. Plus, the homemade Caesar salad dressing made this salad perfect!

Ingredients:
1 head romaine lettuce
2 cups croutons, divided
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon prepared Dijon-style mustard (we used a creole-style mustard)
1 lemon, juiced
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

We also added a cucumber to the salad


Directions:
1) Clean and chop lettuce, set aside.
2) Crush 5 or 6 of the croutons in a deep mixing bowl. Add the garlic, mustard, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Blend thoroughly in a mixer and slowly add olive oil until creamy.
3) Pour dressing over the lettuce, add parmesan, remaining croutons, toss and enjoy.


Recipe from www.allrecipes.com


Husband Rating: A+
Jared's exact words tonight were, "this salad is better than any Caesar Salad that I have ever had in a restaurant." (WOW)!

Wife Rating: A+
I was nervous about the mustard substitution, but it turned out great. The garlic was amazing! The salad was refreshing and crunchy!

We'll definitely make this again -- maybe with chicken next time! (I will probably share this for our holiday party at work)!

Taco Salad

This picture does not do justice to the taco salad -- it was delicious. We modified the recipe a bit by sticking to our non-recipe directions.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef (we used turkey meat)
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans (omitted)
1 (16 ounce) bottle French dressing (we had a spray dressing and used a bit)
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 (14.5 ounce) package tortilla chips
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped tomatoes
4 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 cup prepared salsa


Directions:
1) In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and drain excess fat. Stir in the taco seasoning, chili beans and French-style dressing. Fill the dressing bottle 2/3 full of water and add to the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
2) Crush the bag of chips, open the bag, and toss the broken chips into a large bowl with the lettuce, cheese and tomatoes. When the meat mixture is done, combine it with the lettuce, tomatoes, chips and mix well. Then, add salsa and sour cream.

Husband Rating: A
Jared liked the crunchy tortilla chips and he added hot sauce to kick it up a bit.

Wife Rating: A
Cheese, tortilla chips, salsa, and sour cream -- I'm set!


We'll definitely make this dish again in the future.

Greek Salad (Monday's Dinner)

Although, Jared and I made a Mediterranean salad last Monday, this salad was very different. We love Greek salad, mostly for the kalamata olives and the feta cheese! The dressing was perfect! If you love salads, definitely try this one!

Ingredients:
1 cucumber, diced
2 large tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges (I used cherry tomatoes)
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper
1/2 cup whole, pitted kalamata olives
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:
1) In a medium bowl, layer cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, kalamata olives, and feta cheese. Sprinkle with oregano, then drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Husband Rating: A+
Jared loves salad...and that is probably an understatement! He really enjoyed the salad and the fresh veggies!

Wife Rating: A+
I must agree with Jared. Homemade salads are so much better when you make the dressing too!

We will definitely be making this salad again!

Crunchy Mediterranean Salad

A quick dinner was needed tonight and this was perfect! Next time, I might even cut the vegetables the night before to save more time! Jared and I love salads, and we are trying to include a salad as a meal into our diet each week. We have found another winner!

Ingredients:
1 can chick peas, drained, rinsed
1 cup cucumber, diced
1 1/3 cup small cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 cup green pepper, diced
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives (we used green olives and did not cut in half)
2 green onions, finely chopped
Romaine lettuce (we added this ingredient to the salad)
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper


Directions:
1) Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl.
2) In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mint, and garlic. Whisk in salt and pepper, and adjust seasonings as needed.
3) If storing salad for later, do not pour dressing onto salad -- store for later.
3) combine salad and vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Recipe courtesy of Good Things Catered (THANKS!) http://goodthingscatered.blogspot.com/

Husband Rating: A+
Jared loved this salad! If we had more time, he probably would have eaten more! He loved how fresh the salad was overall -- and the homemade salad dressing!

Wife Rating: A+
This salad is great! A perfect salad for the summer (too bad it is almost winter). ;) I loved the dressing too! Next time I will add feta cheese!


There will be a next time for this recipe!!!!