Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

While shopping through Sam’s Club the other day, the sous chef and I came across La Madeline’s salad dressings.  Yep, they sell the Caesar and Balsamic in bottles there.  Well, my sous chef began to salivate a little, and I assured him that I could make fresher and healthier salad dressings/vinaigrette at home from scratch as I have in the past.

Thus, a few nights ago, I tried another new one!  After this salad was served, it didn’t take long for the sous chef to finish and plead for another salad.  Haha!  He asks, “Did you take a picture already?” Chomp chomp chomp. “Because you HAVE to blog about this one!  It’s soooooo good!”  So there ya have it.  It’s a winner salad dressing!  Yes, and I liked it too :)

Source

Ingredients

1 cup packed cilantro

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Pinch of minced garlic

Directions

Puree cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, salt, pepper and garlic in a blender or food processor until smooth.I use the Magic Bullet to puree our dressing :)  You can half this recipe if this is just serving 2 people.

Surf and Turf Salad

Trying to eat light is a much more frequent thing in our household.  Sure you’ll still see me make sweets, but we are making an effort to eat less meat and increase the amount of veggies and fruits that we eat.  Spotting this recipe in Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Get Real Meals was perfect to add to my shopping list!  We both truly enjoyed this recipe and the salad dressing is really great!

Ingredients

2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and minced or grated
3 tablespoons Tamari (dark aged soy sauce)
1 teaspoon ground coriander (1/3 palmful)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon grill seasoning, such as McCormick brand Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 lemon, zested
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling
1 1/2-2 pounds flank steak
1 bunch scallions
16 medium shrimp, peeled, tails removed and deveined
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 hearts of Romaine, chopped
4 ounces baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley (a couple handfuls), chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped

Dressing:
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Salt and pepper
Directions

Pre-heat a tabletop grill, grill pan, or outdoor grill to high.

Combine the first 10 ingredients in a shallow dish. Coat flank steak in mixture and reserve for 10-15 minutes.

Trim ends and one inch of tops off of the scallions. Drizzle EVOO over both the scallions and the shrimp and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Grill scallions and shrimp for two minutes on each side. Remove from grill and reserve.

Place flank steak on grill pan and cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove the meat to a plate, tent with foil, and let juices settle for five minutes.

Combine greens, red onion and parsley leaves on a large platter or individual plates. Cut reserved scallions into 1-inch pieces. Scatter over greens and then evenly distribute the grilled shrimp over the greens.  In a small bowl mix the lemon juice, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce and whisk in three tablespoons EVOO. Season the dressing with salt and pepper and drizzle it back and forth over the arranged greens and scallions and shrimp. Slice the steak very thinly against the grain on an angle with a sharp knife and arrange it over the salad.

Chipotle-Glazed Chicken Breast and Grilled Chopped Veggie Salad

I’ve actually made this recipe once before, but it was pre-Krista Kooks time.  I was actually in college when I made this.  In fact, the first time I made this recipe, it was not NEARLY as good or as pretty :)  As I prepared this recipe the 2nd time around, I kept asking myself, “What were you doing when you made this before?”  Haha!  I kept remembering how silly I was before in how I prepared it.

Nonetheless, we loved the slight spice this chicken has against the very fresh tasting salad.  Best of all, this is a great good-for-you recipe!  Here’s another Rachael Ray Get Real meal! Ingredients

5 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus some for drizzling
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons honey
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 medium zucchini sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices
1 medium yellow squash, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices
1 red bell pepper, cut in half, cored, and seeded
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced into 1/2 inch rings
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 16-ounce sack of coleslaw mix (on the produce aisle)
2 rounded tablespoons honey mustard, such as Guilden's Spicy Honey Mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (half a palmful)
2 rounded tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt

Preheat a grill pan or charcoal grill to high.

To make the chipotle glaze, in a small saucepot heat about 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and garlic; cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste, honey, chipotles, and 1/4 cup cider vinegar, and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and cook for 10 minutes, or until glaze has thickened. Reserve the sauce on low heat.

While the chipotle glaze is cooking, season the sliced veggies, apple, and chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a generous amount of vegetable oil. Place the veggies, apple, and chicken on the grill. The veggies should be cooked in 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until they are well marked by the grill, then remove to cook slightly. The chicken should be cooked for 6 minutes per side. For the last 2 minutes of cooking time, baste the chicken using a pastry brush with the thickened chipotle glaze. Both sides of the chicken should be well coated with the glaze. Remove the chicken from the grill to rest while you put the rest of the grilled chopped veggie salad together.

Chop the cooled veggies into bite-size pieces and transfer to a salad bowl.  Add the coleslaw mix. In a small bowl whisk together the honey mustard, cumin, and the remaining 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar; stream in the remaining 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil while you continue to whisk the dressing. Stir in the sour cream or yogurt. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the veggies and toss to coat.

Slice the chicken breasts on an angle and serve them on top of a mound of the salad.

Sun-Dried Tomato Salad Dressing

When the sous chef and I got married 2 years ago (March 22nd is our anniversary!), one of the salad dressings at our wedding was Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette.   Here’s a couple pics from that lovely buffet :)Photo Credit: Exceed Photo

Caterer: Behind the Bash

Venue: Briscoe Manor

While I don’t expect to ever be able to match the delicious dressing the chef made, I did try to make something similar because my sous chef LOVES it!  This recipe for Sun-Dried Tomato Salad Dressing was a pretty good one, and I even made it for my in-laws the next time we went to see them.

It’s somewhat difficult to give you a good picture to accurately represent just how delicious this salad dressing is, but all I can do is try for you :)

Serving Size: About 1 cup

Ingredients:
1/2 cup tomato juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced basil leaves
2 tablespoons minced sun-dried tomatoes
Salt to taste

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a shaker bottle, and shake well. Drizzle over salad.