Yeah, I grilled a head of lettuce. Jealous? Well, you shouldn’t be because it’s not hard to replicate. In fact, nothing about today’s Grilled Romaine Southwest Salad is difficult to pull off. It’s a confidence booster for sure. But you may be sitting there wondering if I’d just jumped the shark in terms of food trends. Grilled romaine was the crazy food trend of 2012, not 2018. Back in 2012, we’d just gotten Pinterest and we didn’t know how to handle it. It was a crazy, crafty time! We did all sorts of unsustainable, overly time-consuming bullsh*t for the entire year. So, why am I unleashing this on the Internet again? Why after we’d finally sobered up from all the vodka-soaked gummy bears and found more meaningful work than turning watermelons into serving vessels? Well, I made this salad because I believe grilled romaine has a future.
It’s cooled down some since we last spoke. Emphasis on “some” because it’s still summer weather incubated in a vast sea of pavement. So, the best cool we can do is 27°C, which is great. I am not complaining about the weather – for once. But even with the slight cool down, I’m still eating like we’re living that heat wave life. We’re talking quick-cook proteins and fresh greens 24/7 over here! And today’s Chilled Soba Salad with Sake Poached Shrimp is just further evidence of that fact.
When I first arrived in Toronto at the tender age of 20, I had a crap, overpriced apartment, a crap retail job and, shockingly, not a crap ton of money. Yes, I was living that penniless student cliche in the worst way and that meant living off of boxes of knock-off cereal (generic Fruit Os forever!) and sodium-laced noodles. But once in a blue moon, usually on a Friday, I would treat my broke ass to a schnitzel sandwich and a beer at The Red Room. Today’s Pork Schnitzel Sandwiches with Granny Smith Slaw are a homage to the sandwich.