For the Croutons:

• 4 slices of French bread (recipe to come)
• 3 tablespoons virgin olive oil
• 1 t oregano
• 1 t dried basil
• 2 Garlic powder
• pinch red hot pepper flakes

For the Salad:

• 1 1/2  teaspoon mashed garlic (about 6 clothes)
• 3/4 c mayo
• 3 anchovies (if using from paste, about 1 1/2 t or so depending on how your family likes it)
•  1 t Worcestershire sauce
• 1 t Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• salt
• pepper
• 1/4 cup virgin olive oil (about)
• 2 medium heads of romaine lettuce — outer leaves removed
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese — shaved

Prepping the croutons – Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice bread into 1/2 inch cubes, drizzle oil and seasonings on top.  Bake or toast until nice and crunchy.  I like to bake them at 350 for about 8 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave them in there for another 10 minutes or so until they are crispy.  This will allow them to crisp inside and not burn on the outside.  I do use my stoneware to bake them. The stone also keeps warm for a while longer after the oven is off.

Prepping the salad –  If you are using flat anchovies out of a can, mince one or two to make 1 1/2 teaspoons worth. Mix it well with rest of ingredients.  Do not mix in the oil.  After everything is smooth, then add oil slowly while whisking it.  Only add enough oil until mixture has the right consistency. This can be made ahead of time.

For best results, wash and dry lettuce very well.  Then right before serving it.  Toss lettuce with enough salad dressing.  Put it in the freezer for about 5 minutes. This will make the salad nice and cold.  Take out of freezer, add shaved Parmesan and croutons.  Serve on cold plates!

We planted some basil this week,which always makes me crave this salad.  This is one of my favorite salads. It tastes fresh and it is delicious with tomatoes from the garden! There are no measurements. I just slice tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil (whole leaves). Layer them nicely in that order.

Then you want to drizzle just a little bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top.  Add a sprinkle some salt and pepper and voila!  It is delicious and it is always a hit as an appetizer for parties!

Enjoy

Quinoa is very healthy and I love the nutty like taste.  It is nice to have Quinoa as a salad because you can use your  imagination. This makes it easy to reuse leftovers or wherever is in the fridge to make it taste good  For this particular one I had some tomatoes, red pepper and a boiled egg (left over from another meal), so I started to put those items together until it was beautiful and colorful.

For the Quinoa:

3/4 c of Quinoa

1 t Salt

1 t olive oil

In a small sauce pan heat the oil slightly, add the quinoa and salt. Then add about 2 cups of water. Let the quinoa cook (medium heat) for about 20 minutes, covered.

You can make this ahead of time and keep it in the fridge.

For the salad:

Cooked quinoa

2 ears of corn (just the kernels)- you can use canned corn

1 avocado (sliced)

1 boiled egg (diced)

1/4 red pepper (diced)

2 tomatoes (diced)

2 T green onions (cut)

Mix it all together.  Then season it with Salt and Pepper to taste.  You can also add a little bit of lime juice and olive oil for a different taste.  My husband likes to eat this with a little bit of Italian dressing drizzled on top. I prefer without dressing and just a little squeeze of lime.  I also like to serve it on top of a nice green lettuce.

It is refreshing and it tastes very good!

Pair this recipe with the Chicken Cutlets and you have a complete meal!