Salad with Creamy Dressing & Multi Grain Croutons

I bought a mini loaf of multi grain ciabatta on Monday to make rapini sandwiches for lunch on Tuesday for Rick. You see we have this agreement while we are training for our half marathon that Rick organizes all the training schedules and I do as he says and I organize healthy food and he eats what I prepare. Well he caved on Monday and even though I sent him to work with super healthy Avocado wraps he went out and had a Hero Burger & fries. Oh my disappointment when I heard of this lapse in judgment. So Tuesday he did not require a lunch since he still had his Avocado wraps. Rapini sandwiches were now going to be Wednesdays lunch but now the lovely multi grain ciabatta was stale and I had to use the organic spelt sliced bread instead.

Now there is nothing that irks me more than throwing away food so my multi grain ciabatta became multi grain croutons and what goes better with croutons but a caesar salad. I found this recipe for a Creamy Italian Dressing in one of my many food magazines and I find it is even better than traditional Creamy Caesar Dressing. It also makes a delicious dip for vegetables.

Multi Grain Croutons

1 Loaf of multi grain bread
2 T Olive oil
1/4 t Salt
1/4 t Cracked pepper



Cut the bread into small bite size cubes and place them in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with oil, salt & pepper and toss well. Spread them onto a foil lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Creamy Italian Dressing

3 T Red wine vinegar
3 T Grated Parmesan cheese
1 Small shallot minced (about 2 Tablespoons)
1 Medium clove of garlic presses through a garlic press or grated on a rasp
2 t Dried oregano
1/2 c Mayonnaise(Hellmans 1/2 the fat is best)
1/4 c Sour cream ( reduced fat is preferred)
1 T Chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 c Olive oil
Salt & Pepper


Whisk vinegar, Parmesan, shallot, garlic and oregano in a small bowl. Microwave on high power until cheese is melted (vinegar will look cloudy) and mixture is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Let cool.


Process mayonnaise, sour cream, basil and vinegar mixture in a food processor until smooth. With motor running, slowly add oil until incorporated, about 1 minute. Season with salt & pepper to taste.


The dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Salad

Wash and break up 1 head of romaine lettuce. Toss with croutons and 3 to 4 tablespoons of the creamy dressing. You can add bacon bits if you like or top your salad with a grilled chicken breast to truly make it a meal.