El Torito Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing

When I moved to Chicago from California there were restaurants I missed.  El Torito was one of them, mainly for this salad.  I had been living in Chicago about a year when my sweet mom sent this recipe.  I don't know who she sweet talked at the restaurant to get it, but I'm happy to know I learned that lesson from the best.  I have made just a couple of minor adjustments.

This is one of my most requested recipes from friends.  Probably because I make it all the time.  Probably because it's really that good.  At El Torito, the salad is simply romaine lettuce, tomato, tortilla strips and Cojita cheese.  That's it!  I love to add an avocado and some roasted red peppers.   It's also a great dip with tacos or nachos.

2/3 cup packed fresh cilantro, long stems cut off
1 tablespoon Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix (dry)
1 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 cup low~fat buttermilk
2~ 3 tablespoons roasted and salted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds) plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons Cojita cheese, plus more for garnish
1/3 cup vegetable oil

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except oil.  Process until well blended.  Slowly add the oil through the top cover while motor is running and process until dressing is smooth.  Add Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Refrigerate until well chilled.  

Serve as desired over chilled greens.  Garnish with more pepitas and cheese. 

Makes 1 generous cup of dressing.

Pine~Nut Salad Dressing

  
I can totally admit it, I'm a girl that can get excited about a good salad dressing!  There is no shame here.  It totally makes the salad, in my opinion.  

I went out the other night and had a salad that sounded really good.  The dressing just didn't do it for me, so sad.  Glad I had an appetizer because I didn't touch the salad.  

Pine Nuts and Parmesan Cheese= Love!  Two of my favorite things together in a really simple, fresh dressing.  Perfect.  This would be a great balance served with something rich.  Or, add some grilled chicken for a quick meal.  Recipe adapted from Sunset Magazine December 2011.

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, divided
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese~ for garnish

Crush 1/3 cup pine nuts using a mortar and pestle.  Add mustard, vinegar, shallot, honey, salt, pepper, and oil; mix until blended.  

Finish salad with remaining pine nuts and cheese.  

*If you don't have a mortar and pestle, use a small food processor.

Ginger Salad Dressing

I grew up going to Benihana's Japanese Steakhouse every year for my birthday.  It was our families traditional birthday lunch with my mom and brothers.  Sometimes my cute Grandma's or Dad would come along, but it was my Mom's thing.  We got to get out of school (total bonus) and go to the "Valley."  Yup, I am like totally a Valley Girl.  You can hear it right?  It is pretty embarrassing I used to talk like that.  Like, Gag me with a spoon!!  We would always go to the Ventura Blvd. location, which I later in life had an apartment across the street from.  Hmm...I wonder why I picked that place?  Now when I go there with my husband, I probably embarrass him.  I always order extra dressing on the side and I basically have soup.  I do one of those, "Do you want some?" He's smart enough to know I don't really want to share.

My mom had a friend that worked there, who gave her the salad dressing recipe.  It was in bulk, like a gallon of this, a ton of that.  I'm not sure if she ever converted the quantities.  Maybe I should see if I can get my hands on it.

Like... Totally...this is not the original dressing recipe!  It's a knock off that's like pretty close.  OK, I'm done talking like a fool.  ;)

I've tried many dressings similar to this and this is probably the closest I've found.  The recipe is adapted from Todd Wilbur.  It's not the real thing, but it's still really good.

1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced celery
2 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender.  Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds or until all the ginger is pureed.  Chill.  

Makes 1 3/4 cups.

Penne Pasta w/Chicken in a Citrus Vinaigrette

This is a light, refreshing salad. I love the citrus in the dressing along with the subtle Asian flavors. I brought it to a bbq this summer and have some friends requesting the recipe. I know it's the middle of winter, but sometimes we just need a break from all the heavy dishes. This salad is great anytime, as a light meal or as a side. It looks like a lot of ingredients, but it's really easy.

A perfect make ahead dish...it's better when it has some time to rest. I would make it in the afternoon before I took the kids to the pool and we'd have something to eat when we were done. Perfect!

This recipe was adapted from a Sweet Tomatoes recipe.

For the chicken
3 or 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 tablespoon orange zest, plus 1 tablespoon zest for the vinaigrette
juice of 1 orange
1 clove minced garlic
2 tablespoons oil

For the vinaigrette
6 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons light olive oil (extra virgin would be too heavy, canola oil would be a better substitution)
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Korean teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
1 1/2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
1 tablespoon reserved orange zest

For the salad
1 pound penne pasta, cooked
2 cups carrots, shredded
1 cup cucumbers, quartered and diced
1 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
sesame seeds for garnish

Combine 1 tablespoon of the orange zest, orange juice (not the concentrate), garlic, and oil in a bowl or bag to marinate the chicken in. Add the chicken, and let marinate for 30 minutes. Grill the chicken and set aside.

Combine all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a large bowl and whisk to thoroughly combine.

Assemble the salad. Cut the chicken at an angle in 1/4 inch slices and cube. Add to the vinaigrette. Add cooked pasta, carrots, cucumbers, celery, and cilantro to the bowl. Mix to evenly coat with dressing. Allow to marinate for 2 hours. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Potato Salad

This is the potato salad I grew up with. I'm not a mayo, or egg yolk fan...but this is one of the few things I will eat with those ingredients. The quantities are estimates, so adjust to your liking. I make it from memory every time. I tried my best to come up with measurements. It's great this time of year.

About 12 russet potatoes

About 12 eggs, hard boiled. I actually toss about half the yolks when I make it. If you like eggs, leave them in. :)

1/2 cup red onion, finely diced~ you could use whatever onion you like, I like the color of the red.

1/2 cup red pepper, diced

1/2 cup green pepper, diced

1 cup celery, finely diced~ I like to use the heart of the celery, definitely with the tops on. They add so much flavor.

1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped

About 1 1/3 cups good quality mayonnaise

About 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish

1~2 tablespoons yellow prepared mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

About 2 teaspoons caraway seeds~ I think this makes the salad.

Celery salt to taste

Boil the whole potatoes until tender, take them out of the water to cool. Hard boil the eggs and set aside to cool. When the potatoes and eggs have cooled, peel them and cut into bite size chunks. Add the red onion, red pepper, green pepper, celery, and parsley. Mix together carefully. For the rest of the ingredients, I would add a little at a time until it tastes right to you. Mixing carefully so the potatoes don't fall apart too much. Keep refrigerated.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Chinese Chicken Salad is one of my favorites. This has a really flavorful dressing, which I think makes the salad. Make this with whatever greens and vegetables you like. You could add cabbage, sugar snap peas, red pepper, snow peas, toasted almonds. I like to garnish with cilantro and freshly fried won ton strips.

3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup dark Tamari sauce~ it's a thicker, better quality soy sauce
1/2 cup sweet hot mustard
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 pound chicken breast tenders

salt and pepper

3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup Chinese duck sauce ~you could also use apricot jam
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 bag mixed baby greens~ about 6 oz

1/4 cup cilantro

1/2 seedless cucumber, sliced on an angle

2 carrots, grated

3 or 4 green onion, thinly sliced on an angle

1 can drained mandarin oranges

For the Marinade~ Combine syrup, tamari, and mustard in a bowl. Reserve 3/4 of a cup to use later for the dressing. Add the chicken to the marinade for at least 30 minutes.

When you are ready to cook the chicken, preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Coat the pan with the vegetable oil. Spread the sesame seeds on a sheet of waxed paper (this will allow for easy clean up). Dip the chicken into the sesame seeds to coat. Saute the chicken about 3 minutes on each side, turning carefully. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

For the Dressing~ Whisk vinegar, ginger, duck sauce, and the reserved marinade together. Then stream in the oil while you are whisking the dressing.

Combine the salad ingredients in a bowl. Add the dressing and toss. I like to slice the chicken at an angle, and serve on top. You could leave the chicken tenders whole if you prefer. Garnish with more cilantro, sesame seeds, and fried won tons.

To fry won tons~ In a saucepan heat about an inch of oil at medium heat. Cut the won tons into strips and fry to a light golden brown. This only takes a minute. Let them drain on paper towels and salt them right away.

Parmesan~Thyme Croutons

I love this recipe! I also love it when you can spend a few minutes to make something special, rather than opening a box! These croutons are crisp on the outside and still soft on the inside. Thyme is one of my favorite herbs, of course you can use anything you like. I did make a salad to go with these, but seriously I just wanted to eat the bread!

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

5-6 cups day~old bread, cubed (crust on or off depending on your liking)

6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese (use a good quality cheese)

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until it starts to foam. Add the garlic and thyme, and immediately add the bread cubes. Toss to coat. Add most of the grated Parmesan cheese and stir. Transfer onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with the remaining cheese, salt and pepper and gently toss again while still warm to melt the cheese. Bake stirring once or twice, until the croutons are crisp and lightly colored on the outside, about 10~15 minutes. Set aside and let cool. Garnish with more cheese if you like.