Going Green

There is no doubt about it, "Green" is the buzzword these days.

Everyone talking about ways to change their daily living habits to benefit both us and our earth. In relation to food, one way to be green is to try to buy local produce if you can. This way you support your local farmers instead of produce being trucked from hundreds of miles away in huge gas guzzling transport trucks.

Another way is to buy organic vegetables and meats if your budget and availability allows. Organic produce is grown without herbicides and pesticides, therefore we are not supporting the practice of polluting both our air and the food being treated with harmful chemicals.
If you cant buy organic you can make up a produce wash featured on Oprah's talk show aired on Earth Day. This spray will remove any harmful chemicals from your produce.

In celebration of Earth Day this week and the return of the warm weather, I am featuring two green salads.
The first is a Greek Salad and the second a classic Caesar salad. Both classic summer staples on most summer menus.
Iceberg lettuce is used in traditional Greek salads however I prefer to mix it with the darker more nutritious romaine variety. In the Caesar salad the raw egg and anchovy paste can be optional as some are not fond of these additions.
I have left out amounts on certain ingredients as you can adjust to your taste.

These two salads are perfect on their own as a light summer meal or as a side dish served with a entree such as grilled beef or chicken. I have also added my recipe for homemade croutons. This is an excellent way to use up day old bread.

Kermit was wrong, it is easy being green!

My Greek Salad

• washed and dried lettuce greens of choice ( I used Romaine here)
  
• pitted black olives
• feta cheese crumbled
• red onion sliced
• grape tomatoes
  
• cucumber sliced thin(optional)
• 
  

Dressing

• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup of lemon juice
• 2 tsp fresh minced oregano
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine dressing ingredients in a jar, shake well and chill while you prepare the salad. In a large salad bowl combine remaining ingredients, toss with dressing and serve.






Traditional Caesar Salad

• 1 large garlic clove
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• anchovy paste (optional)
• 1 raw egg yolk (optional)
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• washed and dried romaine lettuce
• crumbled cooked bacon
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• croutons
• lemon wedges (optional

. Sprinkle a little salt into the bottom of a large wooden salad bowl. With a fork mash the garlic clove in the salad bowl. Add the oil, vinegar, lemon juice salt and pepper. Mix well. (Add the anchovy paste and egg if using at this time too) Add the lettuce, cheese, croutons and bacon. Toss well. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.

Homemade Croutons

• ~day old bread such as Italian, focaccia, black olive or similar diced into 1 inch cubes
• ~olive oil
• ~sea salt

In a large frying pan heat the oil and add the bread cubes. Cook over medium heat, tossing the cubes until they are brown and crisp. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to cool.

Cheers!