I am often tempted by things on our friend Heidi's 101Cookbooks blog, a vegetarian cooking blog that is beautiful and full of great recipes regardless of where you sit on the Kinsey scale of carnivorousness. This is partly due to the fact that whenever she makes something it's delicious, and partly due to the fact that her food photos are so freaking gorgeous.

Last week she posted an intriguing recipe for a "Vegan Caesar Salad" and I felt compelled to try it. Removing anchovies, eggs, and parmigiano from a Caesar and making it good- how was this possible?

So I made it last night- and then in a moment of weakness I added sauteed chicken on top, completely bastardizing and un-veganifying it.  (The late-breaking chicken add was really more like peer pressure.) While I wouldn't say I would prefer it to a true Caesar salad, it was damn tasty. The homemade croutons really make it (although I added extra oil) and the dressing has a nice creamy texture and blend of flavors. And if I was a vegan, or owned a vegan restaurant, I'd be doing a happy dance to have found this delicious recipe.

Check out the recipe and photos here - there was no WAY I was taking a photo of something when I could point you to Heidi's photos, and you'll see why when you click over. I made Brian's Avgolemono soup and the combination made for a nice hearty winter dinner.

One of my other favorite Heidi recipes is her asparagus pesto- it's not quite asparagus season at the moment, but when it is, give it a try!