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I made this egg-less caesar salad last night with grilled shrimp and romaine and enjoyed the dressing as much as the classic version. Plus, it’s easier and healthier. Original recipe from AllRecipes.com.

1/2 cup olive oil
2 TSP red wine vinegar
2 TSP lemon juice
2 TSP Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP anchovy paste
1/4 TSP mustard powder
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 TBSP Yogurt (fat free, plain)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Thanks to Melissa for this gem:

There are lots of recipes for garbanzo/spinach tapas; most omit the bacon and shallot, some omit the red pepper, and some add sherry vinegar or lemon juice.  Mine was:

3 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1 red bell pepper, diced small
1 or 2 tablespoons shallot, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch smoked Spanish paprika
10 oz raw spinach

Half-cook the bacon.  Depending on how much bacon fat you’ve got, add 1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add chickpeas, bell pepper, shallot, and garlic and saute until the chickpeas start browning, maybe 5 or 10 minutes.  Add paprika and stir in spinach until it’s wilted, 2 minutes or so.

The Scrabble dictionary defines quinoa as “a weedy plant” but it cooks up nicely nonetheless.

I started with a recipe from AllRecipes and ended up with the following yummy and healthy replacement for couscous or risotto.

* 1 cup uncooked quinoa
* 1 TBSP olive oil
* 2 cups chicken stock
* 1 TBSP chopped garlic
* 2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
* 1 TBSP chopped fresh thyme
* Sea salt, fresh pepper
* 1 small onion, finely chopped
* 1 dash fresh lemon juice (optional)

1. Warm oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the quinoa, and toast, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and do the same.  And again for the garlic.  Stir in broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, or until quinoa is tender.
2. In a bowl, toss quinoa together with the other ingredients. Sprinkle with lemon juice, and serve.

This is the Brazillian cheese bread Fogo de Chão serves when you are seated.  (Their polenta was wonderful also)  I haven’t tried it yet and need to cut down the serving size.  Thanks to Melo for finding the recipe online.

Fogo de Chão Cheese Bread Recipe:  “Pao de Queijo”

1 egg
2 TBSP corn oil
1/3 cup whole milk
Dash of salt
1/3 cup sour tapioca flour (azedo)
1/4 cup sweet tapioca flour (doce)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well until batter is smooth. Lightly grease a 12- or 24-cup mini-muffin pan or small dariole molds.  Fill each muffin cup three-quarters full. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Breads should be crisp on the outside and hollow on the inside, like a popover. Serve warm. Makes 12 – 15 puffs.  Sweet and sour tapioca flour can be found at Brazilian food stores.

Alternate method with sourdough starter.  Since I always have a cauldron of sour flour at the house, I’d like to skip the hunting/purchasing/storing of specialty tapioca flours.  This is a work in process, so experiment at your own risk.

1 egg
1 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP corn oil
1 TSP salt
1/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup starter
2/3 cup bread flour
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

The original recipe and pic came from AllRecipes.com. I tend to use the ingredients and pictures mostly for inspiration.   Mine ended up simply as follows

Toss with a light, creamy dressing like my yogurt dressing.

Ingredients:

1 heads fresh broccoli
1/4 cup red onion thinly cut
8 strips thick cut bacon
1/2 cup roasted pistachios
1/2 cup roasted sliced almonds
1 bell pepper
1 large carrot
2 celery stalks

Place bacon in a deep skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Cool and crumble. Cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces. Combine with the bacon, veggies, and your favorite nuts and mix well.