Salad – Page 4 – The Celiathlete

November 25, 2012

Calorie free Honey Dijon salad dressing from Walden Farms surprisingly didn’t suck

Product: Walden Farms Calorie Free Honey Dijon Salad Dressing – $4.99+

You know…I wouldn’t have bought into the idea of the Walden Farms products had it not been for Rocco DiSpirito. There. I blame it on a chef. The fact is, he often uses the Walden Farms Calorie Free items in his Now Eat This and Now Eat This Diet Cookbooks. And all the time prior to this I had thought…um…no calories, no fat, no carbs, no gluten, no sugars…WHAT is this stuff and how is it even good for you?

And then…one day…I was shopping at my local grocery store and ran across a bottle of the Walden Farms Calorie Free Honey Dijon Salad Dressing. It was greatly marked down in price, so I figured…what the heck…I’d try it. If it turned out to be disgusting, I wasn’t out too much. Besides, my current gluten-free strawberry vinaigrette was running low, so I needed a salad dressing anyway. This…would be something a bit different than my usual choice of a low-fat vinaigrette.

The truth of the matter is…a salad is a naturally healthy choice, but so often (and I used to be really guilty of this) it’s topped with a high calorie and high fat salad dressing. No…seriously…I used to have a little salad with my dressing. My vegetables would be swimming in pools of creamy dressing goodness. And…eventually, I started to use less…and less…and less.

And soon I found myself being one of those people who actually pull out the tablespoon to measure out the required serving size and I would keep to that. I would just give my salad a good toss and coat what I could. And that…is how I have been for a couple of years now. So being a mindful dressing user, I also often ask for it on the side…and when I am at at home…I still measure it out. It is so easy to overdo something as amazing as a good dressing.

Last night, when I measured out two tablespoons of Walden Farms Honey Dijon Salad Dressing…I was pretty certain I was ruining a really good salad. It smelled like honey dijon…so that was a plus, at least. But…I wasn’t quite certain what something with no calories, fat, or anything else might taste like. I was trusting Rocco DiSpririto with my salad and hoping for the best. As I settled in with my salad, I stabbed a few leaves of lettuce with my fork and took my first, very tentative bite.

And…found myself to be impressed instead of disgusted by the flavor. Seriously. This dressing is packed with flavor. And it was good flavor. Definitely not what I was anticipating or expecting…but it was a happy moment or realization. Okay…so it’s not as creamy as most honey dijon dressings are. It almost tastes like a vinaigrette without being as watery as a vinaigrette. The thing is…I get that honey dijon mustard flavor in each bite. No horrible aftertaste or anything. A huge relief, for sure! And now…I hope to try other products and see if they are as good, if not better.

I’m not saying that this is the best dressing around. I never would have purchased it if it weren’t for the manager’s special sale on the product. But now I’m glad I gave in and tried it. Honest flavor. And just really, really good. Yeah…I’m quite happy with this dressing. If you are looking for a healthy alternative to heavy dressings that are laden with fat and calories, give Walden Farms a try. I can’t speak for all of them, but this one was surprisingly tasty.

November 21, 2012

Lakewood, Ohio boasts fantastic gastropub with Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar

Restaurant: Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar, Lakewood, Ohio

Sometime the best laid plans fall through and you have to find a plan B.

Welcome to my world on the night of The Monkees concert up in Lakewood, Ohio. Now, I have a friend who lives in Lakewood and we had made plans to all meet up prior to the show for dinner. Our original spot of choice was somewhere I found on Find Me Gluten Free. A little joint called Tommy’s Pizza and Chicken. Sounds like a dive, yes? But sometimes dives have the best food.

Unfortunately…we never found out. Upon arriving at Tommy’s, we could see that it was more of a carry-out sort of place than an eat-in. That wasn’t going to work…at all. It definitely was a dive. And after a couple of texts with my friend in the area, Cathy (yeah…2 Cathy’s…try to keep them straight), we laid out a couple of alternatives. Get gluten-free pizza to go and bring it to her place. Check out Aladdin’s (they serve up Lebanese/American food). But, with a little magic from my Yelp app on my phone under the gluten-free friendly tag…I discovered Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar, a gastropub that wasn’t too far away. It had good ratings. I suggested it. We all agreed to meet there.

Deagan’s was a happening place that night. Very busy. Very lively. We stepped inside and were greeted by the hostess. I said that there would be five of us so they went to prepare a table. We ended up being positioned near one of the windows in the front…but in a quieter side room. That was definitely a good thing. We were given menus to look at and brought some water to start with. Although tempted with the drink menu, we forwent that. Cathy (the roomie) got a Diet Coke for caffeine purposes, but Jenn and I stuck with water. I explained to our waitress, Anisa (she’s awesome, BTW!), that I was a gluten-free vegetarian. She said they had a special menu for me and would swap mine out with it. She returned a moment later with a menu with certain items highlighted and little notes written on it for how to make something gluten-free (like no pita bread). She said there were some vegetarian options on there as well. It was nice to have that kind of peace of mind.

Cathy (the other one) and her sister arrived soon after and got settled in with drinks and menus. We talked and talked and talked and finally decided that we should probably order since we did have a concert to make. Anisa returned ready to take our orders.

Cathy (the roomie) ordered her standard, must-have, when it is on the menu. Fish and chips ($18.00). Jenn decided to try one of their small plates and ordered the Polenta Croutons ($8.00). The polenta croutons are cubes of fried polenta served with sauteed mushrooms, Parmesan and parsley. It was different and it looked really good. And Jenn even tried to eat the mushrooms…but in the end, they were left behind. The rest, however…she devoured. Cathy (the local) ordered the small plate of Mac and Cheese ($11.00), which was a rather big bowl of noodles, Gruyere cheese and chives. She got it with a side of the Brussels sprouts ($ Cathy’s sister, Sarah, ordered the small plate of Seared Scallops ($12.00), which consisted of two large scallops and was served with shaved Brussels sprouts with grapefruit and pomegranate. She got a side of the House Fries with it. As for me…I decided to go with a salad in the end. I chose to go with their Arugula Salad ($8.00) and, since it was marked gluten-free, give their House Fries ($7.00) a try.

Anisa went to put our orders in and for the rest of the time before food arrived, all of us were chatting up a storm. We talked movies, books, music, concerts, work…you name it. And conversation continued even when food arrived to the table. It took some time. I was okay with that. Again, I don’t mind having to wait on my food. It means that it is prepared fresh and to order. Not sitting under some heat lamp somewhere or getting to know a microwave.

Deagan's House Fries — Deagan’s House Fries

My Arugula Salad was stunning, by the way. Simple. Very pleasing to the eye. Not a lot of color, but what was there popped. Deagan’s Arugula Salad consists of arugula, shaved fennel, Parmesan and pine nuts. It is lightly dressed in a lemon oil. Now, normally I find arugula to be too peppery on its own…but with the saltiness of the Parmesan and the pine nuts, it all balanced out. The lemon oil, however, is what really tied it all together. While the salad looked simple, the layers of flavor in there seemed complex. It all worked. It was fantastic and delicious. And I enjoyed it more than I normally enjoy a salad at restaurants. Honestly. This one was really good.

There were a lot of House Fries in my side order, so I shared with Jenn and Cathy (the roomie). They were fantastic cuts of potato that were topped with shaved Romano cheese and truffle oil. It was served with a spicy mayo. Oh. My. Potato. Gods. These fries were really good and really addictive. No joke. The simple addition of shaved Romano cheese and a hit of truffle oil just took them from standard fries to something that was out-of-this-world good. And different. The spicy mayo that it was served with was delicious and I took great pleasure in dipping my fries into them. Yeah…for a different twist on fries…I highly recommend these.

In the end, we all agreed that Deagan’s was the perfect place to end up when all was said and done. Our waitress took fantastic care of our table. We all enjoyed and devoured our food. Cathy (the local) had left over mac & cheese…which she took home in a box. There was a lot in that bowl they brought her. She and Sarah ended up splitting the special dessert of the night, a bread pudding with caramel and pear. It sounded divine…and looked it too.

Afterwards, we paid our checks and headed out. Cathy and her sister were heading back to her place. We had The Monkees to go and see. In the end, I am happy we ended up at Deagan’s. Sure…this meant I didn’t get my traditional gluten-free pizza the night before a big race (yeah…I was running a 15K the very next morning back down in Columbus, Ohio)…but I did get some carbs (thank you gluten-free House Fries) and had great company and amazing food. I’d go back to Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar in a heartbeat next time I’m in the area. Sometimes the best laid plans have to change to lead you to somewhere even better.

Beyond impressed.

Deagan's Arugula Salad — Deagan’s Arugula Salad

November 21, 2012

The Claddagh in Columbus, Ohio serves up a simple, delicious – but unbalanced – salad

Restaurant: The Claddagh Irish Pub, Columbus, Ohio

I love pubs.

I love pubs a lot. But as a vegetarian, I was already limited on what I could eat there. When I had to go gluten-free…my options got even smaller. In most cases, I hope for an amazing salad. It has happened before. The right flavor combinations, the right ingredients, and yes…even a salad can be magic.

It was Friday night…the beginning of an exciting and busy weekend…and I was in Columbus, Ohio visiting my friend Jenn. I had actually purchased a Living Social deal for The Claddagh Irish Pub in Columbus knowing that there would be a cause to use it at some point. And that night was Friday night after a long trip up in the car.

We arrived and found parking and made our way toward the front of the pub. We entered and were immediately greeted and asked if we had a reservation. Uh oh. Did that mean that there was something going on that evening? I replied that we did not have a reservation and the hostess didn’t even flinch before picking up three menus and guiding us toward the back room. We were seated at a low-lit table in the corner and given our menus to look over.

Although…when it comes to pubs, Jenn, my roomie and I pretty much already know what we want. Our waitress came over and introduced herself and asked if we knew what we wanted to drink. Cathy grabbed for the folder of booze and looked for the one word that makes her happiest at pubs. Yep. They had it. Magners. She and Jenn both ordered a pint of that. I stuck to water as…well…I was running later that weekend and I wanted to hydrate properly.

After our drink orders were taken and water was brought out to all three of us, we placed our orders. Both Jenn and Cathy went with their most favorite pub offering on any menu. Fish and chips ($13.99). As for me…I was down to two salads that interested me. I was having a hard time choosing and Cathy wasn’t helping me make the call. So after a little debate…I made up my mind.

My order…the Galway Salad ($7.99). I stuck with the Balsamic Vinaigrette for my dressing.

With orders in, we sat and talked. Magners were delivered. We discussed upcoming plans we all had, the concert we were seeing the next night, and just whatever we felt like talking about. Why? Because we are good friends and conversation is never an issue with us. Love that. And soon, we found our orders being delivered safely to our table. Jenn and Cathy had big planks of fish (they use cod in an ale batter) over a bed of pub chips (fries). They came with a side of slaw and tartar sauce as well. Cathy, who has taken to at least trying the tartar sauce, was quite impressed with it and alternated dipping her fish in the pool of ketchup on her plate and the tartar sauce. Needless to say…they enjoyed their fish and chips.

The Galway Salad looks like…a basic salad. It basically consisted of a bed of mixed greens that was topped off with a boat-load (seriously…it was crazy and a bit overwhelming to the palate) of sun-dried tomatoes, a pile of goat cheese, and a scattering of candied walnuts. They thankfully kept the balsamic vinaigrette to the side so I could add however much I wanted.

The salad was good…but there were just way too many sun-dried tomatoes. They were clumped together at times and would definitely overpower a bite if too many were on the fork. I had to scatter them out and really make sure that they were balanced out by the other components of the salad itself. And, let me tell you, when you are working with four ingredients, that can be a challenge. Thankfully the balsamic vinaigrette helped offset some of that as well.

Was it amazing? Not really. It was okay. Not bad. Just a bit unbalanced when it came to how it was topped. I mean…it was a very simple, basic salad. It was good. It was delicious. But it was a bit much at times when it came to the heavy-handed sun-dried tomatoes that topped it off. But, I got through it and polished off my plate, leaving the pub with a happy (and full) tummy.

The Claddagh served me a delicious salad. I will give them that. I left there full. But I think the chef needs to learn take a lighter hand with the sun-dried tomatoes as it was way overpowering at times. Thank goodness for the goat cheese and walnuts to help tamper that flavor down some.

The Claddagh's Galway Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette — The Claddagh’s Galway Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette