Greek Salad

This just hits the spot for me, and after LOTS of trying different products, I'll post the ones I actually really really like in this post. However, these are my preferences, and if you have others ones, cool.

For me, I found the key to eating more salads was having more stuff on them I liked. I felt less guilty about eating a large salad with a 'fatty' dressing, than I did about having something else with less leafy greens *cough cough - hamburgers and french fries*. So, I decided I would spend a couple extra bucks on a more expensive dressing, or a non-store brand of olives, or whatever it was, because that was my 'flat abs' tax.

It isn't gourmet eating, but it isn't shoe string eating. This follows my philosophy of "when I eat better I feel better".


So back to this whole "the are the products I prefer". When I like something, I make sure it's brand label is clear in pictures or I will list it by name in the ingredients.

Now, for a word about this salad. There are many variations of a Greek Salad out there, so what I'm posting is hardly creative. It is however a favorite of mine because it's crunch, salty, healthy, and has a little bit of zing from the onions and olives working some food magic. The feta adds a different dimension too - a soft saltiness in regards to flavor,  and a nice texture contrast to the crisp lettuce and crunchy onions.

I'm also posting it because I've been on this salad kick since the summer months. I didn't know I'd feel so much better about life by incorporating a large, leafy, veggie laden salad everyday (okay, almost every day). I hope you enjoy!


Ingredients: 

1 head Romain Lettuce, chopped
1 roma tomato or 1 handful cherry tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup Mezzetta Kalamata Olives, drained
1/2 English Cucumber, cut into rounds
1-2 thin slices Red Onion
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Croutons - optional

1/4 cup Litehouse Greek Vinaigrette Dressing

Directions:
Clean and chop lettuce. Dice tomatoes. Slice 1-2 thin sections of the onion. Cut the cucumber into rounds. Drain olives.

Place all ingredients on a bed of the chopped Romain lettuce. Drizzle with dressing and serve fresh.





Cooking for an army? 
3 heads Romain
1 9.5oz jar Mezzetta Kalamata Olives
2 English cucumbers
5-6 onion slices
2/3 cup feta

Serve dressing as a side.

Caramel Sauce

Interesting fact about Caramel vs Carmel - the former is a food, the latter is a place. Personally, if I could walk around saying 'carmel' all day and have people (i.e. grammar nuts) know that I'm talking about food, I would do it. However, now that I've looking into it I don't think I can justify saying 'carmel' anymore. BOOO!! Car-a-mel is just a mouthful after cute little 'carmel'. That whole extra syllable is killing me. Anyway, sarcastic humor aside, this caramel sauce is amazing. Use it on anything and it will make it amazing. I always eat a spoonful or three during the process and my sink becomes a modern art gallery of forsaken spoons shortly thereafter.

It's basically the same thing as my caramel for Salted Caramel Popcorn, but with heavy cream added. I know, you're thinking "Butter, sugary, caramelly goodness WITH CREAM!?!?" Yeah - me too. I told you - this makes everything better.

This sauce can be used for almost anything that calls for the store bought stuff. Ice cream topping, cakes, apple nachos, or just plain old snacking. If you're feeling very decadent, add twice the amount of cream and use it as fondue, see my note below.



Ingredients:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (one stick)
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt (double if you like salted caramel)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup cream

Directions:

In a deep sauce pan, combine all ingredients except cream and vanilla bring to a gentle boil over medium heat (about 5 minutes). Boil one minute, stirring frequently. Add baking soda - it will foam up - and stir until all the caramel is foamy. Add cream and vanilla and boil an additional minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and transfer to a two cup glass measuring cup or small heat proof bowl. Allow to cool completely. Refrigerate leftovers (yeah right) in a air tight jar or container.

Caramel Fondue:

Add twice the amount of cream, boil 1 minute. Remove from direct heat, but keep warm in a fondue pot, or a double broiler on low.