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| The Bay City Salad at The Grotto. Oh, my! And the Bleu Cheese Chips are GF, too! |
I haven’t always been a huge fan of salad, but since my
celiac disease diagnosis, I’ve discovered that I really enjoy it. People with
CD or gluten intolerance are frequently forced to choose salad when dining out
with friends, because nothing else on the menu is safe for them. (And beware!
Even salads can be dangerous. I must nearly always have them modified in some
way: no croutons, no Caesar dressing, no breaded chicken, etc.)
While some restaurants serve bagged salad mix—meh!—I am
always excited to find places that serve new and interesting combinations,
especially if they are accompanied by safe house made salad dressings. I could
eat any one of my current favorites any day of the week. Here are some of my
favorites, which can be found right here in Springfield, MO:
1.
The
Grotto: (Located at 301 E. Battlefield Rd.) I have had the Bay City Salad several times with no
problems. It consists of mixed greens, balsamic, sun dried tomatoes, Roma
tomatoes, Gorgonzola cheese, red onion and walnuts. Amazing! They have several
other salads, too, but I can’t resist this one, so I haven’t tried them yet.
2.
Big
Whiskey’s: (Located at 311 Park Central East; 1440 W. Republic Rd.; and
1550 E. Battlefield Rd.) I almost always choose the Maple Apple Salad, which consists of fresh sliced apples, sun-dried
craisins, toasted walnuts, sunflower seeds, and Gorgonzola cheese over fresh
salad greens and served with a maple vinaigrette. They also serve a wonderful
salad called Strawberry Hill: Sliced
strawberries, toasted almonds, craisins, and sunflower seeds over fresh salad
greens topped with grilled chicken and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
3.
The
Aviary: (Located at 400 E. Walnut) The Aviary
Maison is so wonderful: young field greens, apple rounds, chevre, and
toasted pignoles, dressed with apple rosmary balsamic vinaigrette. (You’ll have
to tell them to hold the croutons.) The Aviary also has gluten-free crepes, and
if it’s fries you’re craving, their Pommes Frites can be made gluten-free, and
they’re served with a safe garlic aioli.)
4.
Panera
Bread Company: (Located at 2535 N. Kansas Expressway; 500 S. National; 2924
E. Sunshine in Springfield, MO, with many locations elsewhere) Their Fuji Apple Chicken is my favorite,
consisting of chicken, field greens, romaine, tomatoes, red onions, pecans,
Gorgonzola, apple chips and white balsamic apple vinaigrette. You can get it
with a fresh apple or GF potato chips on the side. I also order their Greek Salad, which contains romaine
lettuce, tomatoes, feta, pepperoncini, Kalamata olives, pepper, and Greek
dressing. They have several other salads that sound equally yummy, but that may
require some modification. The problem with Panera is the danger of
cross-contamination from all the bread, which is their specialty, so if you are
super sensitive, you might need to skip this one.
If you don’t have easy access to these restaurants, throw
these salads together at home, using the items listed above. You can easily
find recipes for homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressings. Browse such websites
as Allrecipes or Epicurious to discover interesting
recipes that reflect your own taste. Since my taste runs to the sweet side,
I’ve found a couple of wonderful dressings that I whip up all the time.
Maple-Balsamic
Viniagrette
½ C. balsamic vinegar
¼ C. maple syrup
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 C. extra-virgin olive oil
Place vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper
into a blender. Pulse to combine, and then add the olive oil in a steady stream
with the motor running.
Honey-Mustard
Viniagrette
1 T. honey
2 T. Dijon mustard
4 T. red or white wine vinegar
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| Carry serving-sized dressings with you! |
½ C. canola oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Place vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper into a
blender. Pulse to combine, and then add the canola oil in a steady stream with
the motor running.
One other note about salad dressing: If you eat out frequently, you might want to
purchase your favorite salad dressings in serving-sized packets. (Or save the
extra packets they give you at fast food restaurants!) You can almost always
order a plain salad, and having your dressing with you will ensure that you
don’t have to eat it undressed. Yuk!
