Homemade Caesar Salad

This week was the first share of crops that I received from Beausol Gardens' CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. I got a variety of greens including Romaine, therefore I decided to make a homemade Caesar salad. I must say, I was a little nervous about making a Caesar dressing from scratch. The thought of having anchovies in a dressing never bothered me but dealing with em face to face was a little nerve racking. I did find some Caesar dressing recipes that excluded the anchovies, however if I was going to make Caesar then I was going to do it right.

After thumbing through a variety of recipes, I decided to combine two different recipes. One from Tyler Florence and the other from Robin Miller. They can both be found on theFoodNetwork.com. I liked the simplicity of Tyler's recipe however did not want to add two whole egg yolks to the dressing. Therefore, I excluded the egg yolks and added Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce as seen in Robin's recipe.

The dressing ended up being light and really flavorful. Ronnie and I really enjoyed it. I'm glad that I conquered the fear of cooking with anchovies because I have added this dressing to the collection of favorites. So here it is...

Croutons:
4 pieces of whole wheat bread
Extra virigin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400º. Chop bread into cubes. Place bread in a bowl and drizzle olive oil over the bread. Toss to cover. Spread bread over a baking sheet and bake for 15 mins or until golden brown.

Dressing Recipe:
1 Lemon, zested and juiced
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 garlic cloves (minced)
2 anchovies
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Romaine lettuce

Mash anchovies. Then, add garlic, lemon juice and zest in a bowl and whisk. While whisking, gradually pour in the EVOO. Continue to whisk until emulsified. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Gradually pour dressing over greens. I like to add a little at a time so I don't over drench the greens. Toss to coat. Add croutons and any additional cheese, salt or pepper (if needed).

Leafy Greens are in Season

Leafy greens are in season. I got some fresh spinach from the farmers market and decided to make a spinach salad. It was so good! I plan on making it a staple for the spring and summer months.

Recipe:

1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4-5 drops of Stevia**

5 ounce spinach
Fresh Strawberries (sliced)
Sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS
For vinaigrette, stir together mustard, garlic, stevia, lemon juice and vinegar in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil until mixture is smooth and glossy. To assemble salad, place spinach, almonds and strawberries in a large bowl. Toss lightly with dressing and serve immediately.

**Stevia is the extract of a naturally sweet herb. It is a great alternative to sugar. Refined sugar is virtually devoid of nutritional benefits and, at best, represents empty calories in the diet. At worst, it has been implicated in numerous degenerative diseases. Stevia is much sweeter than sugar and has none of sugar's unhealthy drawbacks. Find out more about Stevia at: http://www.stevia.com/SteviaArticle.asp?Id=2269

Picture obtained at: http://www.vegalicious.org/2008/03/05/strawberry-and-spinach-salad/