Let Us Eat Lettuce: Main Dish Summer Salads
I find it amusing that “let us” sounds like “lettuce.” Anyone else?.. Anyone?
Ok. Fine. Maybe vegetable jokes aren’t that funny but you have to admit they can be a little corny. (Ha! Get it? Corny? I stole that one from The Chosen.)
Whether you think it is amusing or not, “let us” and “lettuce” are homophones that fit together perfectly, especially when you have lots of lettuce. Which I do.
Our garden is producing massive amounts of lettuce–six different varieties of crisp, beautiful greens. Andrew grew it. I harvest it. The kids wash it, spin it, and rip it into manageable pieces. Then we all eat it. Everyday. Big salads. Every. Single. Day.
Thankfully, we have three different salads that 1) everyone likes, 2) are filling enough to be main course dishes, and 3) are different enough from each other so that even though we are eating salads everyday, it doesn’t seem like it (well, it kind of does but we like it anyway).
So, whether you’ve got fresh garden lettuce coming out your ears (like we do), have picked some up at the farmer’s market, or snagged some from HyVee, here are some recipe ideas—Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad, Southwest Chicken Salad, and Big Mac Salad—so that you too can summon your family to the table with the always amusing, “Come, Let us eat lettuce!”
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Once upon a time, I ordered a salad by this name at Cheddar’s and realized that, Hey, I could make this at home! And so I did.
My dressing recipe is based on this good base from Once Upon a Chef. My daughter did some tinkering–less mayo, a bit of yogurt, more pepper–and we think it is fantastic. Much better than anything in a bottle though admittedly not a classic version; we omit the anchovy.
Sorry, fish lovers, I just can’t bring myself to buy fish in a toothpaste tube. I’m sure I have eaten it before at restaurants, but what I didn’t know, didn’t kill me. Buying it, squeezing it out of a tube, and then eating it, might, in fact, kill me. Or, at least make me throw up.
If you really want to add fish paste to your dressing, go ahead. Just don’t tell me about it.
The dressing—it all its fish-less glory—is the star of the salad but you do need to gather some chicken, grilled or cooked however you’d like, some pasta cooked and cooled, some fresh Parmesan cheese, and more fresh ground black pepper. And a bunch of lettuce, of course.
I usually grill some chicken breast tenders which marinated in oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic powder and use penne pasta but there are lots of potential variations. When we are all home and all hungry I have to double or triple the dressing recipe. We like this one a lot.
Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup whole Greek yogurt
- 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together or use a blender. If too thick, add small amount of water until you reach desired consistency.
Southwest Chicken Salad
Chicken, black beans, corn, cheese, tomatoes. No recipe here. Just set out all of the toppings and let people make it how they like it. Other options include cilantro, black olives, green onions, avocado, and a squeeze of lime. Salsa or ranch are both good options for dressing, or you could combine them for a salsa ranch dressing, like I do.
As for the chicken, you can use plain chicken cooked however you like, but here is the list of seasonings I put on mine for some tasty southwest flavoring before I toss them on the grill.
Southwest Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- drizzle of lime juice
Instructions
- This list of ingredients is per pound of chicken. I find it easiest to put the chicken in a gallon plastic bag, toss in the spices and squirt of lime juice and mash is all around. Allow to sit and marinate for best results.
Big Mac Salads
Finally, a link to Trim Healthy Mama’s Trim Mac Salad. We just call it the Big Mac Salad because we aren’t eating it in hopes of trimming down and it really and truly tastes like a Big Mac. Although maybe I shouldn’t say that because I honestly don’t think I have ever had a Big Mac. I’m more of a Quarter-Pounder with Cheese kind of girl. But it really and truly does taste like a burger. A tasty burger. My oldest, who is a salad lover, doesn’t like it. He says, why would you take something good, like a salad, and ruin it by making it taste like a burger. But he is weird. Why not take something good, like a burger, and make a salad (also good) burst with all of those flavors? Especially when you are trying to be creative with salads and eat them everyday. See what you think.
