Best Romaine Heart Salad With Creamy Dressing Recipes

HEARTS OF ROMAINE WITH CREAMY FETA DRESSING

Steps:

• Cut each heart of romaine in half lengthwise. Arrange romaine on a serving platter.
• For dressing, in a food processor or blender combine Basic Vinaigrette, 1/2 cup cheese, the water, oregano, garlic, and salt. Cover and process or blend until smooth.
• Drizzle dressing over romaine; sprinkle with cayenne pepper. Top with 1/4 cup cheese. To serve, cut romaine halves crosswise into quarters. Basic Vinaigrette
• In a small screw-top jar combine oil, lemon juice, and vinegar. Cover and shake well. Out of feta? Use goat cheese (chèvre) instead. For a change of texture, use baby greens in place of the romaine. Go Middle Eastern and use a teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander instead of the oregano. For an Asian spin, use 3 tablespoons peanut oil and 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil for the olive oil, lime juice for the lemon juice, and rice wine vinegar for the white wine vinegar. Want a French Vinaigrette? Add 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard and 1 tablespoon minced shallot. Want a heartier flavor? Use red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar in place of the white wine vinegar.

ROMAINE SALAD WITH BREADCRUMBS AND SIMPLE DRESSING

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a bunch of grinds of pepper (about 20 grinds) and cook, stirring constantly, until the crumbs are golden brown, about 5 minutes. It's important to stir the whole time to make sure that they do not burn--which will happen if they sit too long in the skillet untouched. Once golden, immediately transfer them to a plate to cool and stop the cooking process. Set aside.
• Whisk the yogurt, mustard, Worcestershire, lemon zest and juice, garlic, 3 tablespoons water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and about 20 grinds of black pepper in a small bowl until smooth, creamy and combined.
• And add the romaine to a serving bowl. Sprinkle in 3/4 cup of the breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup of the Parmesan and the dressing and toss until the lettuce is nicely coated. Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs and Parmesan on top and serve immediately.

ROMAINE-HEART SALAD WITH CREAMY DRESSING

Steps:

• Make dressing: In a medium bowl, place sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and chili powder; season with salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.
• Remove dark outer leaves from each head of romaine, leaving the heart; place leaves in a plastic bag lined with a paper towel, and refrigerate to use later in Chopped Romaine Salad. Slice hearts in half lengthwise. Place one half on each plate; top with dressing. Sprinkle with scallions and serve.

ROMAINE WITH CREAMY GARLIC DRESSING

Steps:

• Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, and 2 tablespoons water. Stir in oregano, if using; season with salt and pepper.
• Remove dark-green outer leaves from each head of romaine, leaving just the paler-green hearts. (Reserve outer leaves for another use.) Halve hearts lengthwise. To serve, drizzle romaine with dressing.

ROMAINE SALAD WITH CREAMY GARLIC DRESSING

Steps:

• Tear lettuce into bite-size pieces, you should have about 12 cups.
• Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
• Combine garlic and salt in a small bowl and mash with the back of a spoon into a paste, or (and this is what I do), mash with a mortar and pestle and transfer to a bowl.
• Mix garlic paste with lime juice, add egg* and beat until foamy.
• Stir in mayo and worcestershire.
• This can be made ahead, just cover and refrigerate.
• Just before serving, peel, pit and dice avocado.
• In a large salad bowl, combine avocado, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, onions and croutons.
• Stir dressing and pour over salad then toss until well mixed.
• *If you are pregnant or nursing, or have a compromised immune system you may want to consider using a purchased pasteurized egg product.