"I'll have the You Pick Two with the Strawberry Poppyseed* Salad/ no chicken (or Tomato Mozzarella & Basil Salad/no onions), Mac and Cheese, and a whole grain baguette." This will be my diet until the air turns crisp again. Since I can't afford to eat at Panera every night, I have resolved to learn how to make knock offs. I think I have the TM&B salad figured out, I found the SP salad recipe here, and the mac and cheese here.
The salads are fairly straight forward, but I thought there was a little mystery to the dressing of the SP salad. Apparently "poppy seed dressing" is a normal thing and I am an uncultured oaf. I assume the TM&B salad is just tomatoes, mozzarella balls, fresh basil, and cucumbers marinated in a balsamic vinaigrette, then tossed with romaine lettuce. That mac and cheese is MAGIC, which means the mystery will remain, but I can try to come close.
I know this isn't very becoming of a farmers market vendor to say that some of the best summer salads I've ever had came from a national chain, but what can I say? The salads are fresh, flavorful, and have the perfect amount of dressing. What if I promise to use local/ organic ingredients when I make them myself...does that make everyone feel better?
* I know "poppy seed" is two words, you know "poppy seed" is two words; but either Panera doesn't know that, or they are trying to be creative (like the people who put random "y"s in the spelling of their kid's otherwise traditional name). Either way, in the interest of preserving the proper noun, I'm spelling it as one word this time.
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