Daily Unadventures in Cooking » Salad Dressing

Tomato Vinaigrette Recipe

katerina — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:15:48 +0000

Tomato season is easily the best time of the year since it happens to coincide with beach weather, fresh basil, and frosty beverages. Here is an unusual recipe which uses tomatoes – a tomato based salad dressing.

If you have a strong enough blender, it only takes 30 seconds. Otherwise try it in a food processor and slowly stream in the oil. Not tomato season where you are? Try using a roasted tomato to give it that real tomato flavour.

Honey Mustard and Dill Salad Dressing Recipe

katerina — Mon, 30 May 2011 12:49:31 +0000

Dijon mustard might just be the perfect condiment; it is as good on a sandwich as it is in a marinade. It is also low in fat with a short list of natural ingredients. Try using it as the base ingredient to your salad dressing, not only will it bring a distinct flavour but it will also help the oil and vinegar emulsification stay more stable.

Don’t worry, you don’t need honey mustard for this recipe, that is an entirely separate condiment. It does however, also bring these contrasting flavours together. (By the way, check the label the next time you see a bottle of honey mustard, it doesn’t have honey in it at all though there is certainly a good amount of sugar.)

This salad dressing works particularly well on a simple salad of fresh Romaine lettuce, thinly sliced apple and crumbled goat cheese. Once made, this salad dressing will keep in the fridge for several days.

Fresh Chili Oil Recipe

katerina — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:09:09 +0000

Chili oil not only adds a dramatic red colour to any dish but it also adds a punch of spice. This chili oil recipe is not a traditional sichuan oil as this is blenderized and made with fresh, rather than dried chilies. However, I love the colour of the oil when it becomes more uniform and it has a fabulous texture with all that pulp in there. To make it less spicy remove the seeds from your chilies before you dice them.

As a hot sauce lover, this is my new favorite condiment. It has a pure chili flavour and is a great addition to many dishes, from pastas to soups, or just to dip a grilled cheese in. Once made do keep it in your fridge, it should store well for about two weeks.

Lemon Caper Salad Dressing Recipe

katerina — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:24:24 +0000

Capers are like the vegetarian’s bacon. Like olives, they punch salt into any dish they are added to — perfect for a simple green salad. Though I like having them retain some texture you will get the best results for this lemon caper dressing recipe if you can at least partially liquify the capers. All the better to slink down the spine of every leaf and bring that lovely pickled flavour to your salad.

Lemon Caper Salad Dressing Recipe:
(makes ~1/3 cup)

2 tsp capers
1 lemon juiced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
a pinch of freshly ground pepper

In a small food processor combine all ingredients and pulse until capers are no longer whole. Taste and adjust pepper as necessary. The capers are likely to give you plenty of salt.

This dressing is great on a simple salad as it really bumps up the flavour.

Healthy Tartar Sauce Recipe

katerina — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:46:35 +0000

I generally don’t like tartar sauce because it is so sweet, but this healthy tartar sauce recipe is tangy without being cloying. The key to making it healthy is using Greek yogourt which is low in fat and high in protein as a substitution for the mayonnaise. The capers and lemon juice stand in for the sweet relish which is the cause of the extreme sweetness of some tartar sauce recipes.

Try this with my homemade fish sticks!

Healthy Tartar Sauce Recipe:
(makes ~1/4 cup)

3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 dash hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (the squeeze of one wedge)
pepper

It’s easy, just mix together all your ingredients and taste for seasoning.

Grilled Apple, Walnut, Blue Cheese and Mesclun Salad

katerina — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:52:06 +0000

This is the Part I of a series called Great Summer Salads. I am challenging myself to create and cook interesting and wonderful fresh salads this summer.

This salad celebrates the very best of Spring: the first crop of greens from my garden, and a beautiful sunny evening which inspired me to use the grill in creative ways — like toasting nuts.

This year I have planted a huge crop of mixed greens including lots of arugula and varying lettuces. I love being able to just pick a few leaves off of each plant to make a salad for the evening. However, I find salads to be quite boring a lot of the time. So I am hereby challenging myself to be more creative with salads this summer.

I really did plant a huge crop of salad greens.

For me to enjoy a salad it should have lots of contrasting flavors and textures–and usually some cheese. I found that by grilling the apple you further deepen it’s sweetness and soften the texture so when it is tossed it can really blend with the other salad ingredients. The blue cheese is quite sharp and does require the apple and bitter greens to contrast it’s otherwise overly richness. Green onions would also be lovely in this, but instead I opted for fresh chives from the garden in the vinaigrette.

Grilled Apple, Walnut, Blue Cheese and Mesclun Salad Recipe
(serves 2-4)

Chive Vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 lemon, juiced
salt and freshly ground pepper
~ 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Salad:
1 apple
~1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup walnut pieces
6 cups mesclun greens, washed and spun dry

Preheat your barbecue to high heat. In a bowl whisk together the shallot, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper. While whisking vigorously, stream in the olive oil until you have a nice emulsion. Whisk in chives. Taste the dressing and adjust for salt and pepper of necessary.

Wash the apple and slice it into 1/4″ slices. Toss with a tablespoon of the salad dressing. Grab a piece of aluminum foil big enough to wrap the walnuts in. Place walnuts in aluminum foil and seal.

Oil your grill and put the apple slices on the grill. Careful, they will most definitely want to try and fall down the grate. Grill for ~2 minutes with the lid closed and then flip the apples. The apple slices should be soft but still have enough texture to be flipped. Put the walnuts on the grill as well and cook apples for another 90 seconds. Flip the walnut package over and turn off the barbecue. Remove the apples and the walnuts. Open the walnut package, they should be toasted and fragrant but not burnt.

Tear the greens into bite size pieces if necessary. In a large salad bowl layer greens, then the grilled apple slices, blue cheese and walnuts. Toss with the dressing a few minutes before you are ready to serve.

Lemon Sauce Recipe

katerina — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:56:04 +0000

This lemon sauce is a simple addition to cooked fish or roast vegetables. Although you could get the similar results with a vinaigrette, the lemon flesh gives a lovely texture to this sauce — it enhances not only the presentation but also adds extra tartness. Try coating asparagus in it and roasting it in a hot oven.

Check out my giveaway for Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites on now!

Lemon Sauce Recipe
Adapted from Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites

2 lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Segment the lemons. Add lemon segments, sugar and salt to a blender along with any extra juice you can squeeze from the lemons. Turn on blender to medium-high and combine. Add olive oil in a steady stream and pulse until well combined but it still has texture.

Kept in a sealed jar, this should last in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Goat Cheese Salad Dressing Recipe

katerina — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:45:00 +0000

I love goat cheese and add it to salads all the time, but this time I was wondering whether I could create a nice smooth salad dressing. I had half a lemon and a bushy parsley plant to add to the mix and was very happy with the results.

Tangy and sour is how I would describe this delicious goat cheese salad dressing, perfect when tossed in a salad with something sweet like apples or summer fruits.

Goat Cheese Salad Dressing

2 tablespoons soft plain goat cheese
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (if you are using bottled, substitute one extra tablespoon milk for 1 of lemon)
1 tablespoon milk
a pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper

Mash goat cheese in a small bowl with a fork. Slowly add lemon juice and continue mixing to incorporate the liquid. Switch to a whisk and do the same with the milk and remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

More Recipes You Might Like:
Grilled Pear, Goat Cheese and Dandelion Salad
Roasted Pepper Salad Dressing
Candied Pecan and Strawberry Salad

Candied Pecan and Strawberry, Green Salad Recipe

katerina — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:26:00 +0000

Last week I made a great recipe from the Bitchin’ Kitchen Cookbook. I was lucky enough to meet Angelique, a contributor for Bitchin’ Lifestyle when I was in Toronto. It was great to meet her but she sealed the deal when she gave me a free copy of the cookbook. I love me some free cookbook action. On the flight back, I was stuck in turbulence and unable to sleep so I read the cookbook cover to cover and bookmarked a few great recipes and had a few giggles.

The strawberry and candied pecan salad was fabulous and the pecans were certainly the highlight. When I first read the recipe I was sure that it needed blue cheese but after eating it I thought it was lovely just as it was.

The recipe calls for white balsamic vinegar, which I bought. Though it was tasty, I couldn’t really tell the difference between the white and the regular. Tell me, is white balsamic all about the look? I used black pepper I didn’t buy white pepper since I only have the one grinder.

Candied Pecan and Strawberry Salad
(serves 2) – adapted from Bitchin’ Kitchen Cookbook: Rock Your Kitchen-And Let the Boys Clean Up the Mess

1 egg
1 cup raw pecans
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground white (or black) pepper
3 cup greens
1 cup strawberries, halved or quartered if large

First candy the pecans. Preheat the oven to 300F. In a bowl beat the egg. Stir in the sugar, and salt and then pecans, toss to coat. On a parchment lined sheet lay out pecans in a single layer. Discard extra coating. Bake for 30 minutes, cool on a rack.

In a jar shake together vinegar, olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper.In a salad bowl toss together greens, strawberries and pecans. When ready to serve, drizzle over dressing and toss.

Moroccan Carrot and Chickpea Salad Recipe

katerina — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:52:00 +0000

It is too hot to cook, too hot to even turn on the stove. In fact using the food processor was almost over the edge. At any rate I threw this together to use up things in my pantry, I had a big bag of carrots and a bunch of flat leaf parsley which wasn’t going to last much longer and so here we are. This isn’t traditional, not that any of my recipes are, generally Moroccan carrot salads uses cooked carrots, however I couldn’t bring myself to do it and the crunch was nice and refreshing.

I made this on Saturday afternoon and I didn’t quite get it together to make it into last week’s Weekend Herb Blogging. So this will have to go into next week’s event being hosted by Susan from Food Blogga. Parsley has to be one of the most well used fresh herbs, it certainly is the one most readily available around here and so trying to find interesting information on it can be a bit tricky but one thing I did learn recently which I thought was interesting is that it is quite high in Vitamin C.

Moroccan Carrot and Chickpea Salad
(serves 4)

1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and skins removed
4 large carrots, cleaned and grated
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 pinch cayenne
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup fresh parsley, packed and roughly chopped
100 grams feta, crumbled

1. Toss the carrots, chickpeas and parsley together in a salad bowl.
2. Whisk together the spices and lemon juice. Add the olive oil slowly while whisking. Drizzle over the vegetables.
3. Crumble feta over top and serve.

Check out a few more parsley recipes from my archives: Parsley Pasta, Vegetable Pilaf with Parsley and Walnuts, and New Potato Packets with Parsley and Onions.

Tags: Food Porn, Salad, Recipe, Summer Recipe, Vegetarian