May 2-4 weekend—the Victoria Day long weekend—is the official start of summer. Sure, the kids are still in school, but it is the weekend when we traditionally open the cottage, put the boat in the lake, go camping or attend a festival or fireworks show. Meals need to be quick, healthy and definitely there’s going to be some barbequing involved! Here are some ideas to start summer in style.
Cottage Caesar Salad
Sure, we can buy a jar of Caesar dressing, but you can easily make your own dressing at a moment’s notice and a fraction of the cost.
Dressing:
½ cup SOUR SUPREME®
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
A dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp anchovy paste from a tube
½ tsp of salt, few dashes of pepper
Homemade Croutons: 3 cups of day-old bread cut into cubes, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp chopped garlic.
Salad: l large head of romaine lettuce
Wash and dry lettuce. Tear into small pieces and place in a large salad bowl. Set aside.
In a large frying pan, add olive oil and heat over medium. Add 1 tsp chopped garlic and gently cook. Add bread crumbs about 2 cups at a time and brown on all sides. Remove and add the rest of the croutons to brown. Set aside.
To make dressing, in a blender or the cup of a hand emulsifier, add all of the ingredients and blend until thick and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning. Make ahead and store in the fridge to blend flavours.
Just before serving, pour dressing over salad and mix gently. Pour croutons over top and serve. For a meal salad add 2 cups of cooked, diced chicken.
Homemade Cheese Burgers
There is nothing like the taste of a homemade burger cooked on the BBQ! Making a burger from scratch is easy, quick and delicious!
Purchase 2-3 lbs of freshly ground lean beef. Open package and place the beef in a large bowl along with an envelope of onion soup mix. Wash hands and use your hands to thoroughly mix the beef with the soup mix. You can add one egg to help bind the mixture, but it is not necessary. Form the mixture into palm-sized hamburger patties and place patties on a clean platter. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to cook. Light the BBQ until at the right temperature for grilling and place the patties on to the grill and cook until patties are no longer pink inside. Top each patty with one slice of Mozzarella or American TOFUTTI SOY CHEESE SLICES®. Serve on warmed buns with tomato, lettuce, relish and mustard.
