California Pizza Kitchen's Chopped Salad with Herb Vinaigrette

Just as Brian doesn't consider it a meal without meat of some kind, I need a vegetable or a salad to call it good. I elected to make a version of California Pizza Kitchen's Chopped Salad, skipping the salami and turkey, substituting red bell peppers and cucumbers instead.

The original salad is made with iceberg and romaine lettuces. I feel about iceberg about the same way I feel about Velveeta. But I did buy some butter lettuce for the same look.

Funny story, as I was unloading the shopping basket I hear an indignant little voice beside me: "Mommy, why are you buying iceberg lettuce? You said that it has no nutritional value." Heads turn to stare. Shhh...it's not iceberg lettuce, it's butter lettuce. And it's for Uncle Brian's birthday. "It looks like iceberg. Didn't you say that we should always eat lettuces that are dark green or even red?!" More stares. Yes, darling, but every once in a while it's OK. Just like you eat ice cream or chips every now and then, light colored lettuce is okay sometimes.

butter lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces

baby romaine, chopped into bite-sized pieces

fresh basil, rough-chopped

organic garbanzo beans

heirloom tomatoes, chopped

cucumbers, chopped

red bell peppers, deseeded and chopped

shredded parmesan cheese

Herb-Mustard Vinaigrette

1 t minced fresh garlic
2 t minced fresh shallot
2 T Dijon mustard
1 1/2 t dried oregano
1 t dried dill
freshly ground smoked sea salt and flower pepper
1/4 C unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 C olive oil

Place all ingredients for the dressing in a mason jar. Shake till emulsified. Dress the salad right before serving.

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an...

Frozen Art Gourmet Ice Cream

As we headed inland from the coast, I cringed as the temperature gauge in the car for outside temp climbed into the triple digits. Ugh. I'm a rather wimpy central coastal Californian who begins to wilt when it's 70 degrees outside. Thank goodness for air conditioning and a planned ice cream stop. When I parked the car outside Frozen Art Gourmet Ice Cream in Santa Rosa, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. We knew that we still had to get to the campsite...and set up our tents in the heat. But we were going to enjoy the cool, sweet treats from Frozen Art first! Michoacana ice creameries are the equivalent of Starbucks in Mexico; they're ubiquitous. Purists, however, claim that operating a true Michoacana ice cream shop require ties to Tocumbo. It's estimated that almost ninety percent of the Tocumban population is currently employed in the ice cream business from making ice cream itself to making equipment. But the real art of Tocumban ice creams: imaginat...

A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige #ItalianFWT on CulinaryCam.Com

I am in the process of migrating over to my new domain. Come on over to read " A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige " for December's #ItalianFWT.

thewoodenspoongirlJanuary 14, 2012 at 10:25 PM
Good heavens. This food all looks so good. How long did it take to make? The salad especially, yum, yum, YUM. I quite like this blog. =D
Camilla M. MannJanuary 16, 2012 at 11:14 AM
Thanks, thewoodenspoongirl. The cooking took awhile, but most of it was cooking, then waiting, then cooking some more. So, it was punctuated with fun stuff out of the kitchen as well.

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

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