Search Results for: caesar

Lemon Thyme Shrimp Caesar Salad

March 6, 2019 by Lindsay Leave a Comment

WITH BROCCOLINI IT'S SO HEALTHY.

Ok I will not shout anymore. But, seriously. These salads? NOT the TGIFriday's sadclownface Caesars with goopy dressing that I ate in high school "for something light." Ugh. If I do nothing in life, it will be to teach Beck just how to eat like a person for how she feels, and disregard any internal or external pressure to look a certain way. I have been SO anxious about this recently, the fear that she'll hate her body and spend her whole life trying to make it look different the way, well, everyone I know does.

But this isn't about that. This is about the way I love to eat salads! Requirements are: flavor, protein, and enough ingredients that I'm not .... eating a bowl of greens. Although I have a salad coming soon that is basically a bowl of greens, so ignore everything I say.

This Lemon Thyme Shrimp Caesar Salad is SO good, and definitely feels like real cooking, which I like (rather than opening a bag of salad greens and throwing on some dressing that has definitely been in the fridge for multiple moves but it's not bad so we keep moving it). We roast tomatoes and broccolini, sear shrimp, toast croutons, and shake up a super rustic Caesar dressing with tons of lemon and fresh thyme. The whole thing together is really perfect, balanced, and feel-good without being sad-healthy, my least kind of healthy food.

...

Simple Kale Salad with Caesar Croutons and Roasted Tomatoes

February 26, 2018 by Lindsay 3 Comments

Welcome to the salad that makes my dreams come true via buttery bread cubes on top of a superfood.

This salad. It's definitely a new favorite, and the simplicity of the salad itself is one of the reasons I love it so much. I love salads that are dressed super simply to make way for really good toppings, and this is exactly that type of thing. The "dressing" is lemon juice and olive oil, full stop, but just wait for the croutons. I didn't want to do a kale Caesar because, while delicious, I feel like that's been done a lot. Instead, I wanted more of a make-ahead salad that just gets thrown together at the last minute.

Enter: Caesar croutons. They're made in a skillet with anchovy butter, which gives a promise-not-fishy super distinctive Caesar flavor. The croutons get all crispy in the butter with garlic and salt and pepper, and then right at the last minute we add parmesan which fries on the outside of the croutons and OMG. So you see why we don't need much in the way of dressing.

Roasted tomatoes add a sweet + warm element, and we have ourselves a salad. The tomatoes and croutons can be made in advance and served cold or at room temperature, so the salad can be done in five minutes once those two things are done. I love this as a side salad with spaghetti or pizza, but throw a fried egg or some protein on top of this and WHAT a delicious meal. Sliced rare steak sounds particularly delicious with these flavors.

...

Greek Yogurt Dill Caesar Pasta Salad

August 3, 2016 by Lindsay 1 Comment

WITH ALMONDS AND CHICKEN WITH ALMONDS AND CHICKEN.

Guys. I had the best problem ever this morning when I sat down to write this.

I had too many good recipes to write about that I could hardly decide.

What a great time to be alive, right? I feel like I'm in a quasi-groove of my new job and my old jobs and the blog and the baby and being gentle with myself for not being able to DO ALL THE THINGS, and it's a good problem to have, having tons of yummy food to share. A bad problem is that WordPress took away the red squiggly line and now I don't know when I spell things wrong? Can someone tell me how to turn that back on? Thanks.

And so this salad. It's a total feel-good, easy-peasy, use-what-you-have, summer salad. The dressing MAKES it, and the rest of it is just leftovers, seriously. Any salad stuff you have, leftover pasta, leftover chicken, some almonds for crunch, and delectable dressing. The yogurt + dill is decidedly summer, which means you have a month or so left to make this and it not feel weird.

...

Shrimp Caesar Endive Boats

September 29, 2014 by Lindsay 2 Comments

It's high time for a new Caesar dish.

I adore Caesar dressing, and I make it a lot for catering and life and Mondays. Especially now that Jay is a vegetarian-who-only-eats-animals-without-faces and also LOVES shrimp, this was a super great one to make this weekend.

It's my standard Caesar dressing, but instead of romaine lettuce like you'd expect, we went with endive, which is bitter and sexy and really sturdy, which I love for lettuce wraps. ALSO, it's smaller than romaine leaves, and I like having smaller things for pick-up salads like this.

So, there. ...

Raw Brussels Caesar + Crispy Capers

July 14, 2014 by Lindsay Leave a Comment

Helloooo Monday.

Don't get all huffy by the fact that I'm offering Brussels on a Monday. I PROMISE, this is not mushy stinky bitter awful Brussels that we used to have. Not "we," my parents would never dream of such a thing.

What IS it about these little guys? Everyone on the earth seems to be inundated with a serious PTSD-esque memory of them, and then now all of a sudden they're all over trendy restaurant menus, but they're crispy or baconed-up or whatevs.

Raw is your new favorite way to eat them, promise. Because, when all is said and done, Brussels are cabbage, right? Raw cabbage = slaw. This is basically slaw with Caesar dressing and sexy fried capers on top. Let's get after it.

...

Caesar Stuffed Zucchini

March 4, 2013 by Lindsay 2 Comments

Well. We ate like crap this weekend.

I loved it, Jay feels bad about it.

Whatever.

To offset the memory of all the meat/beer/cheese consumed over the past three days, though, allow me to share with you this fun recipe.

It's stuffed zucchini. With barley or any kind of grain that you like. Then, it's got some Caesar-salad-esque components. Panko topping instead of croutons. Raw garlic in the filling. Parmesan on top. ANCHOVIES, for heaven's sake.

It's vegetarian if you skip the anchovies (but really, don't), has lots of cheese, and tons of veggies.

Also. It's crazy easy and delicious.

...

Not-so-Classic Caesar Salad

October 19, 2011 by Lindsay 5 Comments

You know how some people are all healthy and stuff?

I'm not one of those people.

Sure, I happen to love working out and not being fat and vegetables, but what I REALLY love is fried food, mayonnaise-based sauces, and nutella. The other stuff is just a fluke.

Anyways, since I cook for lots of different people and have some health-conscious people in my life, I try to find ways to make formerly unhealthy foods a bit better for us. It offsets the mayo.

...

Garlic Butter Croutons

February 15, 2023 by Lindsay 6 Comments

The absolute best recipe with leftover bread - homemade garlic butter croutons! These taste just like restaurant style garlic bread made into croutons and are absolutely delicious on top of any salad. I love making these with leftover no-knead bread and serving them on kale salad for a quick lunch.

close up top view of homemade croutons in a white skillet.

Croutons are....the best part of a salad, if they're good. I recently saw a meme that said something like "I love eating a salad because it's like a treasure hunt for foods you actually want to be eating," and kind of .... yes, when it comes to croutons.

I love a really, really good salad, but the bread's where it's AT.

Homemade croutons are seriously simple to make, and a great use-up of leftover bread or stale bread from other meals. I often cube leftover bread and store it in the freezer, then make small batches of these garlic bread croutons whenever I'm making big salads.

...

Vegan Marinated Mushrooms

September 30, 2021 by Lindsay 7 Comments

One of our favorite vegan mushrooms, these vegan marinated mushrooms are SO YUMMY and the perfect vegan appetizer to add to a party spread! They have just a few pantry ingredients and are done in 30 minutes, but last for weeks in the fridge!

hand holding a marinated mushroom on a toothpick over open jar of mushrooms.

I. Love. Mushrooms. Like, a lot a lot.

These mushrooms in particular will always and forever remind me of Christmas, even though my family never had them. I think this is a total throwback recipe, 80's or 90's or something - did you eat these as a kid? My next door neighbors in Japan made these for almost every holiday, and I LOVED them. I think they used Italian dressing and canned mushrooms, no shame in that game, and the chewy mushroom in the tangy vinaigrette was just my favorite thing ever.

I'm all about anything tangy or pickled, and I think these are such a great addition to a holiday party. They're so light and bright and a perfect complement to the heavier dishes that we have this time of year. I like having them as part of an appetizer spread with some pimento cheese or buffalo chicken dip; they're vegan and gluten free so everyone can enjoy them.

...

Spring Salad with Asparagus

March 30, 2021 by Lindsay 3 Comments

This raw bok choy salad with asparagus and peas is the most delicious easy salad! A no-dressing dressing with lemon juice and olive oil + some fresh parmesan rounds out this gluten free side or main dish. Round this spring salad out with some favorite grilled chicken and shortcut focaccia, or serve this as a cold vegetable side dish!

It's another non-dressing salad, aka my favorite way to throw together a super quick and fresh meal.

Farmer's markets are finally coming back, which means we are in Spring Greens heaven, and so many of these ingredients are able to be found locally right now.

The gist is this: raw greens, fresh herbs, and a few choice veggies blanched super quickly in salted water that get cooled and served on top. Salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, and parmesan top the dish for flavor, so we don't need to mess with making a dressing.

I LOVE salads like this this time of year, because you can customize them based on what you like or have in your fridge that needs to be used up. Literally any veggie, herb, or cheese can be swapped out here, this is just a combination that I love.

...

Five for Friday

March 19, 2021 by Lindsay 2 Comments

...

Five for Friday

March 6, 2020 by Lindsay Leave a Comment

...

Momofuku's Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/ Vinaigrette

April 26, 2018 by Lindsay 1 Comment

I almost hesitate to tell you what kind of vinaigrette because half of the earth will immediately be like EW GROSS NO X OUT.

Because, folks, the utter magic of this dish comes from a heavy hand of fish sauce, which I'm perfectly aware freaks people out, even though I don't pretend to understand why. I think most fear is really just fear of the unknown, though, so if you get to know fish sauce, you will love it and not be scared of it. Boom.

The fish sauce in this application alllmost acts like soy sauce, just a salty earthy umami flavor, not fishy at all, similar to Caesar dressing which gets its flavor from anchovy but doesn't taste like fish either. The dressing here also features garlic, hot peppers, and lime juice, and the huge punch of flavor with the stinky-in-a-good-way Brussels is absolutely wonderful.

The Brussels sprouts, for their part, are cooked half in the skillet half in the oven, super quickly, to get some crispy edges + tender but not mushy insides. The sprouts get dark at the edges and bright green throughout, and tons of fresh herbs add to the brightness of the flavors.

My friend Emily introduced me to this dish, and I've made it three times in as many months, which is a lot for us because we cook a bunch of different things AND like Brussels lots of different ways. The last time I made these I actually had leftover dressing and sprouts so the next day I shredded the Brussels on my mandoline and tossed them raw with some of the leftover dressing, and they were GOBBLED up. I may have liked them more than the cooked version of the recipe, I honestly can't tell.

...

Avocado Green Goddess Dip

July 3, 2017 by Lindsay Leave a Comment

July! I can't believe it. The days are shortening. What. It'll be super hot here for another few months, but July 4th is definitely the beginning of the end as it relates to summer, you know? I love changing seasons and fall as much as the next basic white girl, but summer is still probably my favorite season, leftover nostalgia from growing up and being out of school and swim team and all that.

In case you missed it yesterday, here are some of our tried-and-true summer favorites that we eat all the time in our real lives. If you need any ideas for tomorrow, here they are! This dip is on the new-favorites list, and I can honestly say I haven't eaten that much of it because when I've made it other people have consumed it SO quickly that I don't get much, which is a problem for me but not for my pants fitting so pros and cons there. Green Goddess dip is traditionally made with an anchovy base like Caesar Salad, but I skipped that here to make the dip truly vegetarian. There's also Greek yogurt in it for extra tang, and so many fresh herbs to contribute to the gorgeous green color.

...

Easy Verde Skillet Pasta Bake

August 31, 2016 by Lindsay 2 Comments

Verde like....salsa verde. With pasta and sour cream and chicken and local peppers so it's a vegetable too. A health food!

I'm super into salsa verde or anything with that tangy, bright Mexican feel. Green hot sauce is my jam, restaurants that serve verde instead of red salsa are my home, just goo all around. I think verdent is the word we're looking for, right? e pu

This is similar to the Caesar pasta I made a few weeks ago in that you can very easily use leftover chicken + pasta or make it all right then and there. I've recently been making a whole box of pasta at once when I know we won't eat it all and then using the leftovers for stuff like this. I do this mainly because I don't want to wash "the big pot" twice. Plus, you can't tell that you're eating leftover pasta, so why not? It works.

See also: copious amounts of Monterrey jack.

...

Christmas Dinner Menu

December 17, 2015 by Lindsay Leave a Comment

What do you do for Christmas? Do you do a big meal? Little random snacks? Some big meat and sides like Thanksgiving?

We usually do sides almost identical to Thanksgiving and then a smoked turkey. This year we're still TBD, but I'm a big fan of beef main courses, ham, and all the different kinds of sides that our little brains can think up. I've especially had beef on the brain since giving birth - maybe craving iron due to blood loss, OR I just really like beef? Either way.

To help us plan, I made a menu of what I'd have IF I was capable of cooking a massive Christmas meal. My family cooks all together and this year I'll do less than I usually do, but this is one of those dream menus for me. All my favs.

...

Kale Pasta with Burst Tomato Sauce

May 14, 2014 by Lindsay Leave a Comment

It's high time for a new pasta dish, don't we think?

You know, to be healthy.

Actually, this IS a really healthy pasta. It's also super quick to make so we all win in that department. Whole wheat pasta with kale and white wine topped with buttery burst tomatoes that are about to be SO EPICALLY DELICIOUS but for now regular ones from the store are fine. Definitely the way to do pasta.

...

Salmon with Miso Sauce

January 28, 2013 by Lindsay 2 Comments

Oh man.

This is one of my favorite things ever to eat.

When we lived in Japan, there was this tiny lunch place right near my dad's office. It served something similar to this dish: rice topped with a nearly-rare piece of salmon topped with a delicious miso-based sauce.

Kill me now. Why don't we have lunch options like that in this town?

Anyway. This is simple, flavorful, and so simple for a weeknight when spaghetti or chicken fingers just won't do. It's delicious enough that you could use it for entertaining, but can be done start to finish in 15 minutes or so.

You'll love it!

...

Taco party with beef short rib carnitas - Elevate Mexican night!

For Father's Day or any other day, this ginger chicken with yummy Japanese sides is so special and fun to make!

Have friends coming into town for the weekend? Check out this template for easy cooking for a crowd.

Middle Eastern food...a whole meal, so simple, so healthy, and incredibly flavorful.

Vegetarian Super Bowl (or any other time) offerings. Just because there isn't meat....doesn't mean there isn't cheese!

Smoked salmon brunch. Insanely easy, insanely delicious, and healthy!

Steakhouse-style with no meat? Yes please! Grilled tofu, cheesy barley, and roasted veggies are only part of this great meal.

A great family cookout meal with a few easy make-ahead options for ease of entertaining on the day of - 4th of July perfect!

A Jamaican feast filled with spice, fruit, and FLAVOR. Plan this meal ASAP!

Sometimes you just need a great grilled menu. This is that menu.

Risotto, roasted veggies, seafood...perfect for the weekend!

A fun cookout menu for those of us not exactly counting calories. Delicious!

This easy cookout meal is light and healthy and won't weigh you down!

Mother's Day Dinner! Sundried Tomato Risotto, crispy meat, and a super simple and fancy salad and appetizer. Perfection.

Perfect for weeknight entertaining, this meal comes together in less than an hour and is GORGEOUS every time.

Make some curries and slaw and have Indian night! So simple, but SO delicious and restaurant-worthy.

Sometimes you just want to have your friends over for happy hour without a ton of planning. Here's a great lineup of no-fuss appetizers for an impromptu girls' night!

Baby showers don't have to be stressful! Throw together a few simple appetizers, order a cake and flowers, add a veggie tray, and you're good to go!

The perfect meal for entertaining on a weeknight or last minute that can be made almost entirely in advance! Baked spaghetti, garlic bread, and Caesar salad. Yum!

Such a fun party idea - have a taco night with fish tacos! Healthy, festive, and delicious

Making sushi at home just like in Tokyo really only involves a few simple ingredients, then everyone makes their own rolls at the table! This is a fabulous party idea.

Tempura at home is easy, fast, and delicious! Perfect for entertaining.

Sliced Steak with Sage Chimichurri

November 11, 2011 by Lindsay 5 Comments

If that title doesn't make your mouth water then you are just dead on the inside - no two ways about it.

I made this for Jay's friends Donna and Henry and Jay's mom a few weeks ago and it was GOOD. Also, it was easy - what's better for a fancy weekend meal than something that is super special tasting but doesn't take a lot of time and effort? This is DEFINITELY meal to keep around for watching football at home on a cold night - it's perfect!

...

No Recipe Needed: A No-fail Dinner

November 9, 2011 by Lindsay 11 Comments

I made this pasta, salmon, and spinach combo last week and WOW had I forgotten how much I love it! Make this TONIGHT: you probably have many of the ingredients at home already!

This is so delicious! I'm not going to give you any quantities because this is REALLY the easiest throw-together dinner but with magical, wonderful flavors and a perfect balance of carbs, protein, and vegetables. There are tons of ways to change it up, too, so get creative with this layering idea and use it often!

...

Read More

Sausage and Eggplant Pasta Bake

October 28, 2011 by Lindsay 7 Comments

I like planning. To a fault. I also like cooking, to a fault. The problem with that is that you can't always plan how much time you'll have after work, and often I get cravings for meals that take a bit more time to make and simply don't have the energy to make them on a weeknight. This is one of those meals. The baked, spicy spaghetti is delicious every single time and KEEPS really well in the fridge. When I have the right ingredients I like to make a batch on Saturday or Sunday and then bake it in the oven whenever I need a quick meal during the week. It's also a great meal to take to someone who's sick, just had a baby, or who you feel like you owe a meal because you did something inappropriate at their house after drinking too much Baileys.

Also, there's sausage in this meal.

Baked Sausage Pasta

...

Search Results for: caesar

... Read More

Baked Sausage Pasta

...

Read More