Caesar Salads My Way

I come from a family that doesn't like cheese, especially parmesan cheese!!  When we go out to dinner and there's a Caesar salad on the menu, my parents ask if there's cheese in the dressing, if it's on the plate, etc.  "NO CHEESE!" they tell the waiter.  It's pretty embarrassing, but kinda funny to see two people that hate cheese this much.  Anyway, my mom makes Caesar dressing, without cheese of course, and now I make mine without cheese too!  Although I do like a little cheese on top of my salad.  My recipe is eggless and has no anchovies.  Although I don't mind adding anchovies, this time around I didn't have it on hand.  I do prefer the anchovy paste rather than the actual whole anchovies.  Also, you'll notice that in my salad there are tomatoes...I just love adding tomatoes to my Caesar salads, if you don't like them don't include them.

Caesar Salad Dressing

(serves 2)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons spicy dijon mustard

Mix all ingredients together in a mini food processor or blender.  Pour over chopped romaine lettuce, tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and croutons, if desired.  Serve immediately after dressing and enjoy!

Pre-dressing and cheese

All dressed up! 

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

Every time I travel by train or plane I buy one or two food magazines to keep me busy. Last week when I traveled home for the holidays I purchased a magazine I never had before, Everyday Food, the Martha Stewart publication.  I always saw it on the shelves but never bought it, probably because of it's small size.  Well I was totally wrong about that one!  Although small is size, it's big in the recipe department.  I found at least 10 easy recipes that I wanted to try out.  The first one I decided to try was this tomato and goat cheese tart. 

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

adapted from Everyday Food Magazine

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 tablespoon fat free plain greek yogurt

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

2 leeks, white and light green parts only

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter

2 plum tomatoes sliced

2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

2 teaspoons chopped basil leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan and unfold thawed pastry on it.  In a small bowl stir together yogurt, mustard, and season with salt and pepper.  Spread the mixture over the puff pastry evenly.  Fold over 1/2 inch border on all sides and press edges to seal.  Refrigerate while preparing the leeks and tomatoes.

Meanwhile, halve leeks lengthwise, rinse well, pat dry, and slice 1/4 inch thick.  Saute leeks in a large pan with melted butter or olive oil.  Season leeks with salt and pepper and cook until soft, about 6 minutes.  Arrange the leeks evenly on the puff pastry.  Top with the tomato slices and season with salt and pepper.  Bake until pastry is golden brown and crispy, about 25 minutes.  Let cool slightly and top with crumbled goat cheese and basil.  Serve warm or at room temperature, ENJOY!

If you have any extra ingredients, use them to make a great omelet the next morning!  That's what I did...I even mixed it all up in a container so that all I needed to do in the morning was pour the egg and veggie mixture into a heated pan and cook it up for breakfast!  It's as easy as that...two meals in one!

Deli Roll

This recipe is actually something I've eaten at a friend's house.  I have made it once or twice before and anyone who's ever eaten this has loved it!!  It's a super easy recipe to make, and you can really use any deli meat you like or have on hand!  All you need is deli meat, puff pastry, mustard, egg wash, and an oven!!   NO measurements required either!

Here are the pictures of how to assemble a deli roll:

Open the thawed puff pastry sheet on a foiled and oiled baking sheet.  Spread a generous amount of mustard down the center of the pastry.  Layer with turkey slices, 1-2 layers.

Next layer the pastrami over the turkey.  Fold one side of the pastry over the center and then the other side over the first side (see picture below).  Seal the pastry together with egg wash and also make sure to brush egg wash over the top.

This is what the deli roll should look like before it goes into the oven.  Bake at 360 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until medium golden brown.

Voila...Here's your finished Deli Roll!  Let stand 5-7 minutes before serving, it will be very hot!

Susan Z's Lemony Cabbage Salad

Susan Z's Lemony Cabbage Salad

1 head of green cabbage chopped

1 can heart of palm drained and sliced

5 stalks scallions thinly sliced (both green and white parts)

juice of 2 lemons

1 cup light mayonnaise

salt and pepper to taste

*for a little added twist you can add 2 tablespoons dijon mustard to the dressing.

Mix the cabbage, scallions, and hearts of palm together in a large salad bowl. In another small bowl mix together the lemon juice, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper (and mustard if you desire). Whisk the dressing together well and pour onto the salad.

Notes:

This salad was something I tasted at my mom's friends house. I have no idea where she got the recipe from but it's now something me and my mom both make a lot! I added the twist of the dijon one day as a twist and it added some zing to the salad, so I think it's a good addition. When I had it the first time it was served as a side salad but I think it could be a great side salad at your Passover Seder this year. It holds up well in the fridge, so don't worry about leftovers. But if you are not going to be many people half the recipe. If not for Passover I think it would be a terrific replacement for boring coleslaw at a BBQ. Thanks Susan Z.!