Works For Me Wednesday

I am known in my family as the gadget queen. Everytime my sisters come over they inevitably laugh at something that I take out of my cabinets to help me in the kitchen.

Nothing gets more laughs than my salad spinner! But I don't care because it really works!

This is why. In my before salad-spinner days, I would buy my lettuces with every intention of making a delicious salad only to discover that I when the time came to make it I would be too lazy to make it. It always seemed like such a hassle, I thought "Oh I'll just make it tomorrow" and then when "tomorrow" came the lettuce usually was ready for the trash.

Oh the things we find lingering in the vegetable drawer of our fridges, it can be down right frightening!

And did you ever notice how expensive bagged salad is at the grocery store? (usually $3 or more) Not to mention that if you don't use the whole bag for a meal, the next day it's all slimy. Bleech!

I have tried different salad-spinners and the one I like best is this. (I have the large one; it accomodates our family of five).

So this is what I do. I get a whole head of romaine, red/green leaf lettuce or whatever looks fresh (1/2 the price of the bagged salad) I fill up my kitchen sink with water. Chop up all the lettuces and toss them into the water. I usually let them "swim" while I finish preparing the rest of dinner.

When it's time, I just place the lettuce in the spinner and whirl away. The spinner I have is neat, it has a pull-string that twirls around, drying the lettuce. It's amazing how much water it removes. Place in a bowl, and wha-la! Salad.

Now that your salad is nice a dry, here is a great dressing recipe:

Caesar dressing

2 large cloves garlic
3 canned anchovies, rinsed
2 Tbl Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbl lemon juice
1 Tbl red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a food processor, mince the whole garlic cloves; add anchovies and chop (if you don't have one you could mince the garlic and chop the anchovies with a knife). Add mustard, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, pepper, and the parmesan cheese. Process until smooth and thick (or use a whisk if doing it by hand). Refrigerate for about an hour.
It's really yummy!

One more thing, I like to add to my basic salad recipe some toasted walnuts. It really dresses up a salad and it's better than croutons (for those of us who are trying to reduce carbs). Simply put walnuts on a cookie sheet and toast for 10-12 minutes in a 350 oven.

This gadget works for me!