October Recipe Swap

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My first week of gluten free, sugar free diet was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I got to eat GF chickpea crepes lasagna, GF parantha made from ragi flour, tandoori chicken with zucchini noodles and a black bean corn tortilla casserole. ; But from today onwards I go raw for a week. I have been posting about my adventures in gluten free and sugar free cooking on my Facebook page and this week you will see how my Going Raw cleanse works out. Today I made homemade almond milk and had it with some crushed cardamom, saffron and pistachios. For lunch, I made a raw cauliflower “couscous” salad which was pretty good, although I have to admit I miss eating something warm and cooked. It’s just my first day and I have six more to go. This week is going to be difficult.

And posting pictures of this potato salad is not helping. Not helping at all!

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February SRC: TSRI’s Tomato Feta Pasta Salad

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I am not used to posting recipes one day after the other. And that is why I should have drafted this post earlier. Especially since this month I was very good at managing my SRC recipe selection. For once I did not procrastinate till the last moment to try a recipe. But that’s the only thing I was good at it this month.

I thought I would have the weekend to complete the writing part of the post- as the making part had been taken care of. But on Saturday, we had a pre-Super Bowl party at home and I got busy with that. And on Sunday, half day was spent hungover and the rest watching the super bowl. I also managed to lose $10 to V, betting on the Patriots to win! I was not happy.

So, as always, even though the intitial planning was great, by the end I was left rushing through another SRC post.

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CAESAR SALAD

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I often wondered where did the name Caesar Salad come from. Was it named because Julius Caesar liked it? Well, duh, no! So I researched and here is some Caesar Salad trivia: the salad’s creation is attributed to Caesar Cardini (an Italian born Mexican- yes mexican!). He stumbled upon the idea to make this salad during July 4th celebrations, when most of his pantry emptied out and he had no choice but to make a salad with what was on hand. And, voila! Caesar Salad was born!

The salad is simple, quick to make and tasty to eat. The recipe I use is from a magazine I bought in India, published by Femina. All the recipes in that magazine have been great. The original recipe calls for mayonnaise but I use tartar sauce. I like the sharper flavor that tartar sauce adds. The original recipe also calls for anchovies, instead I add a few drops of worcestershire sauce. You can add grilled chicken as well, but I like to keep this salad vegetarian.

Unfortunately, I always forget to photograph the salad and by the time I realise, its all gobbled up!

CAESAR SALAD

DRESSING:

1 garlic flake, finely chopped

1 tbsp grated Parmesan

salt to taste

5 tbsp mayo (or tartar sauce)

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Few drops of worcestershire sauce

FOR THE SALAD

1 head Romaine Lettuce

Croutons, about 1 1/2 cups

1 cup cherry tomatoes, optional

Shavings of Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Mix all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. The consistency should be that of yogurt. Just before serving, in a salad bowl, add the lettuce, cherry tomatoes and croutons and drizzle the dressing on top. Using tongs, mix well together. The salad should be well coated. Top with shavings of the parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.