Recipe #227: Grilled Romaine and Shrimp with Vinaigrette Dressing

This meal, although not photogenic, is fresh and delicious.  I adapted the shrimp and romaine part from a recipe I found via Google search, and the vinaigrette dressing recipe is from a fellow foodie and friend.  My hair smells like grill smoke and my stomach is happy!

Salad Ingredients:

Shrimp (I used 8 jumbo scampi for 2 of us)
Whole romaine hearts (1 per 2 people)
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Small onion, sliced into rings

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

8 tbs olive oil per person (OR split half and half olive oil and lemon juice, which I did here)
4 tbs balsamic vinegar per person
1 tbs Dijon mustard (I used 2)
1/2 tbs hot chili sauce (I used 1)
Salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese

Ingredients...

Directions:

Thread shrimp onto oiled skewers.  Brush or spray shrimp with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Cut romaine lengthwise in half.  Brush or spray lettuce with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Brush onion rings with oil.

Prepped....

Place onions and shrimp on preheated grill and cook about 4 minutes for one side.  Turn over, and grill the other side.  Put the romaine middle-side down on the grill while the second side of the shrimp cooks, and grill until it wilts slightly.

Put romaine on a plate and top with shrimp and onions.  Spoon or pour over the vinaigrette.  Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Recipe #226: Wedge Salad with Grilled Grape Tomatoes and Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Another grill recipe!  Only the tomatoes are grilled for this one, but it does make a huge difference.  I followed the recipe except for adding extra of some of the ingredients (noted).  Of COURSE bacon makes it even better!  Recipe credit to Foodnetwork.com.

Ingredients

1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into 4 wedges
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons blue cheese, crumbled (I used a little more more)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pint grape tomatoes (I used a whole pint)
2 strips bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled (I used four strips)
1/4 cup finely diced red onion


Directions

Heat a grill or grill pan and place the lettuce wedges on a platter.

Prepare the vinaigrette by briskly whisking together the Dijon, vinegar, and garlic. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking to create an emulsion. Add the sugar and blue cheese, and whisk gently to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Lightly oil the tomato slices, and season with salt and pepper. Grill until slightly charred on the outside and then transfer to the platter with the lettuce wedges. Pour the vinaigrette over the lettuce and tomato and top with bacon and red onion.

Recipe #218: Greek-Inspired Lamb Salad

I bought a pack of two little lamb grillers recently.  I'm not even sure now what the cuts are, but I snatched them up because they were cheap (normally I like the more expensive chops) and reminded me that for all of the lamb dishes I've made, I hadn't yet grilled the lovely meat.  I wasn't sure what I'd make at the time, but I bought them anyway.

This recipe is my own.  I made it up based on looking at several other recipes for ideas.  Nick said it tasted like a restaurant's entree salad.  The amounts are approximate because I threw this together without expecting to blog it, but it really was delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

The lamb:
1lb grillable lamb cut
Garlic Powder
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

The topping:
1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1 large or 2 smaller tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cucumber, halved and sliced
Kalamata olives, to taste
Feta cheese, to taste

The dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Lemon juice, about 2 tbsp, to taste
Salt, pepper, to taste
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

And also salad greens.

DIRECTIONS:

Before grilling time, let the lamb sit out, with a light coat of olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Preheat grill on high heat.  In the meanwhile, put the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and feta in a mixing bowl.

Mix all ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl.  Drizzle some over the toppings in the mixing bowl and stir them to coat them with the flavors.

Grill the lamb to desired doneness, 5-10 minutes per side, depending on thickness.  When done, cut the lamb into strips.

Spread salad greens on serving plates.  Put topping on the greens.  Put lamb on the toppings.  Drizzle a little more of the dressing on top of everything.

Grilled lamb before cutting.  Mouth-watering!

The dressing and the toppings.

Recipe #123: Spinach and Avocado Salad with Warm Mustard Vinaigrette

FINALLY!  New posts!!

Here's a simple to make and very different salad... you must like mustard to enjoy this one!  I really liked the combination of the leafiness, the creaminess of the avocado, and the really different dressing.  Well that pretty much covers the entire recipe...... So here goes!  (adapted to serve 2)

INGREDIENTS:

Spinach and spring leafy mix (I found a good 50/50 bag mix at Giant Eagle)
1 medium avocado
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sesame seeds (I used quite a bit more)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard

DIRECTIONS:

Wash and dry the leaves if necessary; tear into bite-sized pieces; place into bowls or one large serving bowl.

Peel the avocados and cut into thin slices.  Scatter over the leaves.  Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small pan.  Add the sesame seeds and cook over low heat until they just start to turn golden.  Remove from the heat immediately and allow to cool slightly.

Add the lemon juice, remaining oil and mustard to the pan and stir to combine.  While still warm, pour over the salad and toss gently to coat leaves.  Salad is best served immediately.

Recipe #117: Wendy's Pecan Chicken Salad Imposter

I was always kind of skeptical about mixing chicken and fruit together... especially after combining it with bleu cheese...  but awhile back, I had to try Wendy's pecan chicken salad and got totally HOOKED.  The combination of flavors is so awesome, salty, sweet, and even a little sour from the cranberries.  Today I was craving one of those salads, but Wendy's was a bit far from my house for my liking.  Instead, I went to Rego's up the road from me and grabbed as many of the ingredients as I could remember to make my own.  It was very close to the original, although I used strawberry vinaigrette instead of the pomegranate one they use.  Here's a link to Wendy's version for comparison.

Here's the ingredients- simply adjust according do your tastes!
Leafy greens (baby spinach, baby mixed, whatever you like)
Craisins
Pecans
Apple, sliced into chunks
Bleu cheese crumbles
A few croutons
White meat chicken, about one breast size per person, cooked and cut into chunks
A fruit vinaigrette dressing, such as pomegranate, strawberry, raspberry, etc.

Recipe #110: Shrimp Cobb Salad

This is so easy to make, and full on flavor but not heavy!  And anything with shrimp and bacon and avocado has GOT to be awesome...  This is from my May issue of Cooking Light.  I varied the amounts quite a bit- more shrimp, more bacon, and I doubled the dressing for better coverage.  I'll post the recipe here as-is though- it's easy to vary the amounts according to your tastes.

Ingredients

• 4 slices center-cut bacon
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 1 (10-ounce) package romaine salad
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cup shredded carrots (about 2 carrots)
• 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
• 1 ripe peeled avocado, cut into 8 wedges

Directions

• 1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; cut in half crosswise. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Increase heat to medium-high. Sprinkle shrimp with paprika and pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt; toss to coat.
• 2. While the shrimp cooks, combine remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, juice, oil, and mustard in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add lettuce; toss to coat.
• 3. Arrange about 1 1/2 cups lettuce mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with about 6 shrimp, 1/2 cup tomatoes, 1/4 cup carrot, 1/4 cup corn, 2 avocado wedges, and 2 bacon pieces.

Recipe #92: Crab and Avocado Salad

Fresh, easy, and seafoody!  Made this for dinner tonight, and it's quite filling.  I was excited to use a new ingredient:  anchovies!  At first, I was going to skip them, but I decided that I'd try them... they get blended into the dressing anyways, just like Caesar dressing.  This recipe is intended to feed four people, and won't make good leftovers (soggy lettuce and croutons- yuck...) so half it if you're only feeding two.  This is from Food Network magazine (and also on their site).

Interesting assortment... but it comes together well!

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1/2 pound haricots verts or green beans, halved
• 2/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt  (I used plain Greek yogurt)
• 3 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 3 anchovy fillets, chopped
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 pound lump or claw crabmeat
• 1 Hass avocado, halved, pitted and diced
• 3 romaine hearts, chopped  (I used 2)
• 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat croutons  (I used whatever...)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the haricots verts and cook until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking.
Puree the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, basil and anchovies in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Toss the crabmeat, half of the avocado and about 1 tablespoon of the yogurt dressing in a small bowl. Toss the romaine, croutons, haricots verts and the remaining avocado with the remaining dressing in a large bowl.
Divide the romaine salad among plates, top with the tomatoes and place some of the crab mixture in the center.

Recipe #59: Broccoli Salad

This recipe, also from What Can I Bring? Cookbook, originally calls for broccolini.  I couldn't find it at the grocery store, so I used regular broccoli, cut up small.  This basic salad is made unique with a great crunchy topping and a really nice dressing.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons butter
1 package ramen noodles (any flavor)
1/3 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
2 medium-size cloves garlic, crushed in a garlic press
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 bag (8-9oz) chopped romaine lettuce or 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
1 bunch broccolini, trimmed and chopped, about 2.5 cups (or regular broccoli)

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium-low heat.  Open the package of ramen noodles and remove and discard the seasoning packet.  Chop the noodles into small pieces and add them to the frying pan along with the almonds and sesame seeds.  (I smashed the noodles before opening the ramen packet- it's easier that way.)  Cook, stirring, until they turn golden brown, 3-4 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Place the vinegar, sugar, garlic, mustard, and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl.  Gradually whisk in the olive oil a little at a time until the dressing thickens slightly.

To serve, toss the romaine with the broccoli in a large serving bowl.  Pour enough of the dressing over the salad to coat, then toss well.  Spoon the toasted ramen, almonds, and sesame seeds on top and toss again to coat.

Recipe #42: Southwest Chicken Salad

Healthy, hearty, and easy! After Nick's reaction (an enthusiastic "MMM!!" after his first bite), I know I'll be making this one again... (My only change was using sour cream instead of yogurt because I didn't have any of the yogurt...)



INGREDIENTS:
2 cups chopped or sliced cooked skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup black beans, drained
1/2 cup sweet corn, drained if canned or thawed if frozen
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain, non-fat yogurt
1 tsp lime juice
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup chopped red pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a bowl, blend mayonnaise, yogurt, lime juice and cumin. In another bowl, combine chicken, pepper, black beans, sweet corn, red onion and tomato. Stir in dressing. Option to serve on a bed of spinach or lettuce leaves.

Serves 4.