I love salad! I love vegetables! I love fruit!
While casually reading my June 2011 issue of Food and Wine Magazine I came across the most intriguing salad. I absolutely love salad because my mom made a salad with every dinner at home when I was a child. For my entire family, a salad is like an aperifit. It is not a completed dinner unless it starts with a salad. When I first met my husband he though my liking for salad was bizarre. He was not a salad person and viewed lettuce as unneccessary empty calories. It took me many years, but he finally likes salads!
Most nights at home my hubby makes dinner, but the past few months I have started to share this responsiblity with him, to the point that I think I enjoy coming up with new, creative, fun dishes more than he does. In a world full of food and variety, why settle for the same old grilled chicken and pasta dish? Most nights we do eat simple grilled meats and vegetables, but that is due to the fact that we try to eat healthy. The challenge that I have given myself is to create inventive and healthy dishes that aren’t boring! I was lucky this month when my Food and Wine arrived in the mail, because it was chock-full of vegetarian dishes and healthy grilled dishes.
For dinner on a random Wednesday: Celery, Grilled Grape, and Mushroom Salad!
Most people I talk to do not like celery! This baffles me! How can somebody not like celery? It is a simple, crisp vegetable that is delicious dipped in peanut butter. Personally, I love celery and I believe this salad can make celery lovable for anyone!
This delightful, fresh, light, summer salad is well-rounded; providing fruit, vegetables, and a bit of protein. The best part about the dish, besides the flavor, is the affordable quality. Most ingredients are staples in a kitchen so the salad can be made for $10 at the most.
Ingredients: (s) = Staple
- White Wine Vinegar (s)
- Lemon
- Celery Seed (s)
- Dijon Mustard (s)
- Garlic (s)
- EVOO (s)
- Italian Parsley
- Celery Stalks and Leaves
- Candied Almonds
- Baby Bella Mushrooms
- Green Grapes
- Butter Lettuce
Step 1: Whisk together the vinegar, lemon, celery seeds, mustard, garlic, EVOO, salt, and pepper.Step 2: Combine the parsley, celery leaves and almonds in a mini food processor.
Step 3: Add EVOO to create a chunky paste.
Step 4: Light the grill (or in my case heat a saucepan). Grill the mushrooms with a touch of EVOO, salt, and pepper.
Step 5: Add the Green Grapes and heat until the grape skins brown in spots.
Step 6: Toss the grapes and mushroom with the pesto mixture.Step 7: Drizzle the lettuce with half of the dressing and plate. Add the mushroom and grape salad.
Step 8: Toss the celery in the remaining dressing and add to the salad.
Step 9: Shave Parmesan cheese on top (optional).
