(22) Caesar Salad with Light Homemade Dressing

This recipe is adapted from a Cooking Light one. The original calls for anchovy paste, which I could not find. The flavor on the dressing is great and I love that it's light! (The dressing comes out to about 30cals/Tbsp, which is awesome!!) It's slightly garlicky, slightly tangy - just right!! I am a bad recipe writer - I should have measured my cheese and lettuce. I can tell you about how much to use, but just use your own judgment, really!!

I promise, nobody is paying me to say this :) but my favorite croutons of all time went on this salad. We LOVE LOVE LOVE the Texas Toast croutons. This was my first taste of the Caesar ones and they did not disappoint!!

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Caesar Salad with Light Homemade Dressing

Yield: 4 salads

1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (depending on how spicy you like it!)
1 garlic clove, minced
4-6c chopped romaine lettuce (depends on how big your bowls are!!)
1/2c grated Parmesan, divided
croutons

Combine the first 8 ingredients (yogurt through pepper) in a bowl; stir well with a whisk. Place lettuce, 1/4c Parmesan, and 1/2c of the dressing in a large bowl or dish with a lid and stir to coat the lettuce with the dressing. (I used a big Tupperware with a lid and shook it all up - worked great!!) Place mix into 4 individual bowls and top each salad with 1 Tbsp Parmesan and croutons to your liking. Voila! Easy Caesar salad!!

(77) Barbecue Sirloin and Blue Cheese Salad

YUM! This was easy and very flavorful. I didn't measure the lettuce and used half of the dressing on 1 salad. I'll just make more for the leftovers. Delish! Please serve this with crusty bread to sop up the leftover cheese bits and vinaigrette!!

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Barbecue Sirloin and Blue Cheese Salad

Lean sirloin steak sits atop a bed of fresh veggies for an easy weeknight main-dish salad. Top with crumbles of rich blue cheese to bring out the bold flavors in the homemade vinaigrette.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups salad, 3 ounces steak, and 2 tablespoons cheese)
Source: Cooking Light Magazine, September 2009

2 teaspoons chili powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 pound lean sirloin steak, trimmed
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups torn Bibb lettuce
3/4 cup thinly sliced peeled cucumber
1 cup red bell pepper strips
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese

1. Combine chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; rub evenly over both sides of steak.

2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak to pan; cook 5 minutes. Turn steak over; cook 4 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Place steak on a cutting board; let stand 5 minutes. Cut across grain into thin slices.

3. Combine vinegar, mustard, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil, stirring with a whisk. Combine lettuce, cucumber, bell pepper, and shallots in a large bowl. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad; toss gently to coat. Top salad with steak and cheese.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 269, Fat: 12.4g (sat 4.9g,mono 5.4g,poly 0.8g), Protein: 29.5g, Carbohydrate: 9.4g, Fiber: 2.6g, Cholesterol: 57mg, Iron: 2.8mg, Sodium: 671mg, Calcium: 141mg

(44) Corn and Black Bean Salad

This was very easy to put together and very fresh tasting. An excellent compliment to a summer grilling meal - and was AWESOME with the carnitas tacos!

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Corn and Black Bean Salad

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)
Source: Cooking Light Magazine, August 2006

2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears)
1 cup diced red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of salt

Combine corn, bell pepper, onions, cilantro, and beans in a medium bowl.

Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle vinegar mixture over corn mixture; toss well. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 74 (28% from fat), Fat: 2.3g (sat 0.1g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.3g), Protein: 3.4g, Carbohydrate: 14.4g, Fiber: 3.4g, Cholesterol: 0.0mg, Iron: 0.8mg, Sodium: 208mg, Calcium: 19mg

(39) Autumn Apple and Spinach Salad

Super easy and very flavorful! I'm not normally one for raw onion, but it was excellent in this salad. The dressing was a surprise too! It doesn't have any oil, but it's not needed. Just the right amount of tang. I'll make this one again for sure!

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Autumn Apple and Spinach Salad

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups)
Source: Cooking Light Magazine, October 2004

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
8 cups bagged prewashed baby spinach (about 8 ounces)
1 large, firm, sweet-tart apple, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled blue cheese

Combine first 6 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk.

Combine onion, spinach, and apple in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 60 (29% from fat), Fat: 1.9g (sat 1g,mono 0.5g,poly 0.1g), Protein: 2.7g, , Carbohydrate: 9.4g, Fiber: 2.2g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Iron: 1.3mg, Sodium: 251mg, Calcium: 76mg

(17) Basque Salad

I don't think I realized this didn't have lettuce in it until we started making it! HA! (yes, I'm blonde!) Anyway, I wasn't sure what it would be like, but it was REALLY tasty. It was a great, cool compliment to our main meal. There were 8 of us and we had leftovers - big salad!

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Basque Salad

Yield: 6 (big!) servings
Source: Allrecipes.com

"Inspired by a salad served at a Basque restaurant in Bakersfield, this sensational summer salad features fresh tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and colorful bell peppers. The dressing combines olive oil, red wine vinegar, with oregano, basil, and marjoram."

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 medium fresh tomatoes - cored, quartered,
and sliced as thin as possible
1 large cucumber - peeled, seeded, and thinly
sliced
1 Spanish onion - peeled, cut in half, and
thinly sliced

Dressing:
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
chopped fresh parsley

1) In a large bowl, toss together the green, red, and yellow peppers with the tomatoes, cucumber, and onion.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Whisk in oregano, basil, and marjoram. Continue whisking until ingredients are well blended and the oil and vinegar are emulsified.

3) Pour dressing over vegetables, and toss gently with a wooden spoon. Cover, and marinate at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, stirring frequently. Refrigerate until 1 hour before serving; then remove from the refrigerator, and let sit at room temperature. Garnish with chopped parsley.