Light Dinner: Eating Well’s Caesar Salad with Shrimp
Posted Apr 24 2008 12:00am
Today I got a lovely delivery at work from one of my thoughtful vendors. It was a huge crate of cakes and cookies from a local baking company. I swear whenever I get a package like that my inner cavewoman comes out. I tend to overindulge and before I know it my tummy is overstuffed with cookies and cakes. I also knew that it was probably expensive so I hated the thought of any of the goodies going to waste. Finally though I decided I was DONE and brought the leftovers to the kitchen to share with co-workers, save for an unopened package of Mountain Cookies, which sounded both unusual and amazing. They are described as being loaded with raisins, crystallized ginger, oatmeal, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, dates, dried apricots, dried cranberries, toasted almonds & spices and apparently the cookie was nominated for the food industry’s equivalent of the “Oscar” in 2003. I’m planning to share some with my BF and freeze the rest for when I’m looking for a little treat.
By now you’re probably wondering where this tangent is leading. Well, after so much sugar I was really craving something light and nutritious for dinner. I swear every time I load up on chocolate and sugar I start really craving vegetables. Thankfully, I’d already planned a light dinner since I knew it was going to reach 80?F today making the thought of turning on the stove a little unappealing.
My plan: Caesar Salad with Shrimp from Eating Well Serves Two. Caesar Salad is one of those dishes I have often thought about making, but have frequently passed over because it seems too common. However, now that the weather’s been warming up I’ve found myself really craving it. The star of this dish is by far the homemade dressing, the recipe for which can be found here. It tastes MUCH richer than it really is and has a great balance of flavors. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to taste it once I tossed it with a huge helping of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, shrimp, croutons, and Asiago cheese, but the flavors still came through well. I know some people are anchovy-adverse, but I’ve actually grown to love them and I think they add a nice depth of flavor. If you’re worried about buying them whole because you’re not sure what else you’ll use them for I’ve got a recipe for you: Mario Batali’s Spaghetti with Caramelized Onions, Anchovies, and Toasted Bread Crumbs. It’s heavenly, even if you cut back on the olive oil and substitute whole wheat pasta. My bf proclaimed it the best pasta dish ever at the time.
Additional tip: If you ever need to make homemade croutons for two people and don’t have any bread on hand buying a single roll from the bakery section of your grocery store works great. I bought one and cut it into pieces. Then I spread them out on a baking sheet, sprayed them lightly with my olive oil mister and baked them at 350 degrees F until crispy (15 to 20 minutes approximately). Delicious!
Hope everyone else is having lovely weather as well. I’ve certainly been enjoying it, although it’s made me realize I should do more baking before it becomes too hot to use the oven!
Today I got a lovely delivery at work from one of my thoughtful vendors. It was a huge crate of cakes and cookies from a local baking company. I swear whenever I get a package like that my inner cavewoman comes out. I tend to overindulge and before I know it my tummy is overstuffed with cookies and cakes. I also knew that it was probably expensive so I hated the thought of any of the goodies going to waste. Finally though I decided I was DONE and brought the leftovers to the kitchen to share with co-workers, save for an unopened package of Mountain Cookies, which sounded both unusual and amazing. They are described as being loaded with raisins, crystallized ginger, oatmeal, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, dates, dried apricots, dried cranberries, toasted almonds & spices and apparently the cookie was nominated for the food industry’s equivalent of the “Oscar” in 2003. I’m planning to share some with my BF and freeze the rest for when I’m looking for a little treat.