Dinner in 30 - Starring my soon to be famous caesar - ish salad
For this dinner I grilled some bone in pork chops. I try not to overthink my proteins and tonight was no exception. The grill is my bff when the weather is nice. Also, makes cleanup SOOOOOO easy. I needed to make dinner fast because Lu has gymnastics which means we get home later than usual. I had made this salad over the weekend for some friends because I had the veg lying around. Garrett and I were dreaming about it so, here you go! It tastes like a fancy restaurant caesar with pretty minimal effort. Also worth noting, my oven is actually broken and in the process of being repaired, so if I wanted to, I couldn’t make a “One Sheet Meal,” but I struggle with cooking everything all together at the same time anyway because inevitably something will get overcooked. That’s for a different day…
This salad is my hero! It’s got finely sliced veggies which is important, I think, to the success of the salad, a quick lemony caesar, parmesan grated on a microplane and breadcrumbs that are ground up from croutons made from stale sourdough I had. DO NOT SUB STORE BOUGHT BREADCRUMBS - you will be VERY disappointed. If anything, buy ready- made croutons and crush them up a bit. You will be much happier with the result.
Serves 4 - Easily can be doubled or tripled
SALAD
1 Head of Romaine or 2 Heads of Baby Romaine Lettuce, Finely Chopped (About 3 loosely packed cups)
1 Bunch of Lacinato Kale, destemmed, washed, dried in a towel and finely chopped. (Mine was kind of dirty) About 2 Cups, maybe a little less. I don’t like precut store bought kale because the stems are in there and they are tough and not tasty raw. You can also use Frisee, Endive, or more Lettuce!
10 Brussels Sprouts shaved fine on the mandolin - About 1 - 1 1/2 Cups
1/4 of a head of Cauliflower, shaved on the mandolin - about 1 - 1 1/2 Cups (Can also use uncooked, fresh riced cauliflower from the produce section)
About 2 Cups loosely packed parmesan cheese, grated on a microplane OR 1 cup of pre-grated parmesan cheese
1/2 Cup of finely ground bread crumbs from croutons - either store bought or homemade
DRESSING
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic - try to use fresh and not jarred - it’s an entirely different flavor.
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons Mayonaise
1/2 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar - Rice Wine Vinegar, Champagne Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar will also work just fine.
2 + teaspoons salt - Personal preference. Use 2 teaspoons and taste it.
1 - 2 teaspoons ground pepper - Whatever your preference. I personally like some extra pep in my step!
*Whisk everything together
TO FINISH
TOSS YOUR SALAD! Seriously. Season the salad with salt and pepper to your liking. Yes, we season everything as we go! Add your dressing and toss some more. Taste it, see if it’s seasoned correctly, and enjoy. The dressing has a ton of flavor, so be prepared for that. It’s punchy! However, it gets diluted when added to all of those wonderful veggies. Trust the process. If you’re nervous, just add a little dressing at a time. I highly recommend tossing the salad at least 10 minutes before serving so everything gets all marinated and the tougher veggies soften a smidge.
