Summer Salad Dressings!
One of my favorite parts about having a blog is getting to write about whatever is on my mind. Although I rarely write in complete sentences, I still find the outlet of writing does wonders for all that mumbo-jumbo that is floating around in my head.
Thinking about the therapy of folding laundry? Blog.
Little nasty green worms in your cabbage? Blog.
A crazy munchkin that is stickin' all kinds of funny things in her mouth? Blog it, baby.
And today...what's on my mind is this:
Summer salads.
And I have a confession here. Until about eight months ago, I never ate fruit on my salad. After all, how could strawberries pair with chives? Or peaches with avocado? Then, my friend Leena brought over a strawberry, almond, avocado salad. I politely ate a bite, after all, I didn't want to be rude. And while I tried to separate the fruit out from the vegetables, inevitability, a slice of strawberry was hidden behind a lettuce leaf...and along with almonds, avocado, chives, cucumbers, and vinaigrette...into my mouth it went. And I died a wonderful, flavorful death. Since then, I've been a firm believer in fruit on my salads. And pretty much everything else, too.
I can't exactly give you a recipe for salads. After all, they resemble a goulash of sorts. Cucumbers and bacon. Peppers and sunflower seeds. Toasted almonds and apricots. Blueberries and poppy seeds. Strawberries and green onions. Cabbage. Shredded carrots. Radishes. Bacon. Sprouts. Beets. Cheese. Peas. Corn. Chicken. Diapers. Chew toys. Dog food.
You name it...and it can pretty much go on a salad.
So instead of giving you a salad recipe, I've decided to share some of our favorite homemade dressing recipes. We don't buy salad dressings because a) they can be spendy and b) they are usually full of artificial ingredients (yes, even the organic ones) and c) mine taste way better. Plus, not having all those bottles frees up fridge space, man.
These are a few dressings that are always in my repertoire:
Miso Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons raw miso (fermented soybean paste...trust me, it's delicious. Find it at your local health food store. It usually costs about $5 but it will last for a long time!)
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 extra virgin olive oil (cold, first-pressed is best!)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon raw honey
- 1 teaspoon of high quality, course-ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil (optional)
Simply combine in a small mason jar, twist on the lid, and shake shake shake shake.
Vinaigrette Dressing:
- 1 teaspoon of high quality, course-ground mustard
- 1/8-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- A pinch (or two!) of freshly minced rosemary, thyme, chives, or oregano. Or any combination thereof. Use whichever herbs you like! Dried herbs work well too!
Combine the mustard, vinegar, and herbs together in a mason jar. Then, add your olive oil, and shake shake shake shake. Shake again right before serving to ensure ingredients have blended.
Use your palette for this dressing. If you like an strongly herbed dressing, add more! If you like a more acidic dressing (as I do), use the higher measurement of balsamic vinegar.
Basic Dressing:
- 1 teaspoon of high quality, course-ground mustard
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Combine. Shake. I think you've got the basic concept down now...
To this dressing you can add herbs, freshly minced garlic, sun dried tomatoes, roasted peppers, honey, cilantro, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, green onions, grated ginger, etc. Whatever sort of flavor would pair well with your entree.
Yes, I do realize these recipes are semi-vague.
Yes, I do have faith that you can use your palette to create a wonderful dressing. Even though my recipes are semi-vague. Once you figure out that it is super and I mean super easy to make dressings at home, well, then...I suppose you'll be making more dressings at home then. Won't you.
Then entire process takes less than 2 minutes. Literally. That's less time then it takes to...I can't think of a lot of things to put here. I can't choose. Pick your nose? Take a potty break? Vacuum up dog hair?
And there is nothing stopping the possibilities besides your imagination!
And in the middle of summer, when gardens and farmers markets are showing off their lush bounty... capitalize on that goodness baby. Let is shine in all it's fresh, vinaigrette glory.
Then pour yourself a nice, chilled glass of peach wine. And enjoy.
Happy Friday!
Miso Dressing
- 2 tbsp raw miso ((fermented soybean paste…trust me, it's delicious. Find it at your local health food store. It usually costs about $5 but it will last for a long time!))
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ½ extra virgin olive oil ((cold, first-pressed is best!))
- 1 ½ tbsp raw honey
- 1 tsp high quality, course-ground mustard
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil (optional)
-
Simply combine in a small mason jar, twist on the lid, and shake shake shake shake.
Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1 tsp high quality, course-ground mustard
- ⅛ - ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- A pinch (or two!) of freshly minced rosemary, thyme, chives, or oregano. Or any combination thereof. Use whichever herbs you like! Dried herbs work well too!
-
Combine the mustard, vinegar, and herbs together in a mason jar. Then, add your olive oil, and shake shake shake shake. Shake again right before serving to ensure ingredients have blended.
Use your palette for this dressing. If you like an strongly herbed dressing, add more! If you like a more acidic dressing (as I do), use the higher measurement of balsamic vinegar.
Basic Dressing
- 1 tsp high quality, course-ground mustard
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
-
Combine. Shake. I think you've got the basic concept down now…To this dressing you can add herbs, freshly minced garlic, sun dried tomatoes, roasted peppers, honey, cilantro, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, green onions, grated ginger, etc. Whatever sort of flavor would pair well with your entree.