Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Hey, look.  Yet another salad dressing recipe.  (Here's one and another and another and another and another and three more.)  But the thing is, I eat a lot of salad.  For a while there, I was packing some kind of huge salad in my lunch every day.  So you can bet that I quickly grow tired of the same ingredients and the same dressings.  Add to that the fact that bought salad dressing is so iffy on flavor, and buying a whole bottle of something new is an expensive taste-test.

Make it From Scratch: Ranch Dressing Mix

Happy October!!  This is by far my favorite month, so I'm going to apologize up front if my posts over the next few weeks contain a ridiculous amount of exclamation points and a terrible amount of squealing.  That won't stop me from those annoying behaviors, but at least you've been forewarned :)

Ok, so this dressing mix.  I ran out of ranch dressing mix a couple of weeks ago, and rather than make a trip to the grocery store, I searched for a recipe I could whip up at home.  Store bought ranch mix has MSG and a few other creepy ingredients, so this fits right in with my goal to eliminate bad ingredients from our pantry.  I made this dressing two ways - regular and nondairy, so that we can accommodate everybody in one fell swoop.  If you check the photos below, you can see how both versions turned out.

Hollyhock Yeast Dressing

I know.  Another salad dressing.  When will she stop with the salad  dressing  recipes?

But, in my defense, this can be used for soooo much more than salad.  For instance: It's amazing when you dunk salad rolls into it (and this time I filled my salad rolls with the Lettuce Wrap chicken).  And I used it to marinate chicken last night and as a sauce for the fried rice we had on the side.  It's pretty much endless what you can do with this savory, slightly zingy sauce that's just jammed with flavor.  When I first read that everyone was proclaiming it their favorite dressing in the whole world, I thought - sure, ok.  But then after I started eating (nay, slurping?) it, I realized that they all spoke the truth.  I. Love. This. Dressing. 

Tangy Cucumber and Avocado Salad

Oh, I'd forgotten how yummy this recipe is!  I went digging through my cooking notebook (which is just shy of completely falling apart), and rediscovered this recipe I had saved four years ago.  Whoops!  And now, I'm wondering what other amazing recipes are in there that I'd forgotten about?

Shrimp and Pasta Salad

'Morning!  I did some whirlwind cooking over the weekend, and came up with a couple of great summertime recipes.  Hurrah!

This one is a gussied-up version of a basic shrimp salad.  It was tasty straight from the recipe, but I amped it up by adding pasta and capers.  The pasta adds some carbs to balance things out, and is an inexpensive way to make the salad go further.  It would definitely be great with a whole wheat or gluten free pasta, so use whatever you like best!

Tropical Kale Salad with Creamy Pineapple Coconut Dressing

Did you know that massaging raw kale gives it a slightly wilted texture, so that it's softer?  Neither did I!  I bumped into a whole new world of kale salads and learned that the die hards rub some dressing into the kale and let it marinate before eating.  Crazy town!

But let's get back to this salad.  I've started calling it "scurvy salad" because of its healthy dose of Vitamin C while we're still seeing chilly winter weather outside.  It's basically an island vacation on a plate.  Coconut, lime, pineapple, mangoes, banana.... I'm telling you - it's the cheapest tropical vacation you'll ever take.

And we're bringing back those Chia Seeds again.  This time, not only do they add some fiber and omegas to your dressing, they also serve as a thickener.  This recipe takes advantage of how Chia Seeds absorb liquid and create a gel, and use that to thicken the dressing naturally.  I love it!

And a secret?  That dressing is pretty delicious when drizzled over coconut milk ice cream.  I may or may not be stuffing my face with it as I write...

I Feel A Tan Coming On,


p.s.  Happy Leap Year!

         

Tropical Kale Salad with Creamy Pineapple Coconut Dressing
adapted from Oh She Glows

For the dressing:
1 c. chopped pineapple *
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
3/4 c. coconut milk
1 Tbsp. chia seeds
1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
pinch kosher salt
1 Tbsp. honey (if using unsweetened coconut milk)

For the salad:
3 c. packed kale, stems removed and roughly torn
2 c. butter or romaine lettuce
1/2 c. chopped pineapple *
1 c. chopped mango *
1/2 large banana, sliced
1 Tbsp. shredded dried coconut
1/4 c. roughly chopped macadamia nuts or pecans

In a blender, blend all dressing ingredients until smooth.

Then, prepare the kale by adding about 1/2 of the dressing to the kale and massage it in with your fingers. While the kale marinates, chop the fruit.  Toss everything together and top with coconut and nuts and additional dressing as desired.

* Note: I used frozen and thawed chopped pineapple and mango to save on costs, and this recipe turned out great.

         

Dressing Ingredient Lineup:

Salad Ingredient Lineup:

Mom's Potato Salad

I'm embarrassed to admit that I can't remember the last time I had my mom's potato salad.  It's my most favorite potato salad recipe on the planet, and it's a quintessential summertime favorite for our family.  So when the 4th of July came and went, I decided that my mom's comfort food recipe was a must.

There are a zillion ways to mix and match a potato salad recipe (the latest issue of Food Network magazine has a pullout for 50 different ways to make potato salad - 50!), but this is one is my favorite!

Enjoy!




Mom's Potato Salad
6 medium potatoes, boiled and peeled
4 eggs, hard boiled and chopped
2 medium stalks celery, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped (or 4 green onions, chopped)
1/2 c. chopped dill pickles
2 Tbsp. pickle juice
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. dried dill
1 tsp. celery salt
pepper to taste
1 - 1 1/2 c. light mayo

Mix all ingredients, adding mayo until desired consistency.  For best results, chill for at least 4 hours to allow flavors to meld.

Ingredient Lineup:

You can peel the potatoes before or after boiling.  I peeled mine after boiling.

(And then because I had zero patience that day, I just half-peeled

the potatoes and left the skins on.  And told myself it was for color.)

3 Reasons We're Eating More Salad

A few things are contributing to our increased consumption of salads:

Temps are already reaching triple digits here in OK, and after melting at the soccer field for 2 hours I just don't have the energy for much else.

My absolute love and adoration for all things green, grown in the ground and crunchy.

The amount of produce that I am being given from family and friends who's gardens are growing more than they can eat.

No matter the reason, salads are just a fun and simple way of making sure that in the summer when your family is tired after a long day that you are still gathering around the table to eat with each other. When I served the salad above, I got a few grumbles though. A few is that all we're going to eats. Even though it included no less than 7 vegetables, cheese and sauteed chicken. Please forgive the inclusion of Ranch dressing. I grew up eating it, my kids eat it and I try to tell myself if there are more vegetables than Ranch it's still got to be a little healthy right?

It all worked out - everyone walked away full and happy from the table together like it was meant to be.

Just in case you were looking for a recipe or two, here's a great collection of salads that we've done over the last year:

Broccoli Salad

 

Bok Choy Salad with Asian Vinaigrette

 

Chipotle Shrimp Salad

 

Cheese Tortellini Salad

 

Stacked Cornbread and Turkey Salad

What's your favorite salad to serve for supper?

Rabbit Food

 Happy Easter, everyone!!

Rabbit Ears Salad Servers

Homemade Croutons

I like to make my own croutons.  It's very inexpensive.  Takes only 5 minutes to put together and 30 minutes to bake.  Because I know how to make my own, I never run out.

 Here's my basic recipe:

• 4 slices dense bread - (This time I used Rye Marble) sliced into 3/4 inch cubes
• 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder or salt
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Place the bread cubes in a bowl.  Add seasonings and oil.  Toss well to coat.

 Place on parchment lined cookie sheet in a single layer.  Bake for 30 minutes(or until crisp) in an 300 degree preheated oven.  Cool completely.

Store in a glass jar.  Don't be afraid to play around with different types of bread and seasonings!  I've given a jar of freshly baked croutons with fresh salad greens and veggies from our garden as a gift and it was well received.



   

Apple Vinaigrette Dressing

(Tip: this cruet was only 98 cents at Walmart)



I decided to rebel and not use apples as a typical recipe ingredient, haHA!  Ok, so I'm not kidding anyone by calling myself a rebel, but still.  I'm a bit of an apple snob with 90% of my relatives living in Washington state, so now that I'm living in the South, I have the hardest time buying apples when they don't have those little WA state stickers on them.  One day, I'll get over my issues (maybe), one day.  So I opted instead to try and come up with a copy-cat recipe for Panera's Fuji apple vinaigrette dressing.  I love that stuff, but I really wanted to be able to whip it up at home, and without any funky additives.  The results are super yummy, hurrah!  This dressing isn't identical to the restaurant version, but we loved it enough to make it be our stand-in here at home.



Enjoy!

Apple Vinaigrette Dressing

1/2 c. canola or vegetable oil

6 Tbsp. apple juice concentrate

4 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

3 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar with a pinch of sugar)

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. sugar, or to taste

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl.  Keep refrigerated and shake well before serving.

Lettuce, Cucumbers, Carrots, Tomatoes, Apple Slices, Candied Pecans, and Feta

Spicy Bean Salsa

(Altho, this ought to be called Rainbow Salsa because it's seriously so pretty with all those colors!)

First up - I apologize for including so few photos!  As you know, normally, I like to include a whole slew of pictures with my posts.  But I made this recipe on a whim for a New Year's party and didn't bother to document the step-by-step as I threw it together.  And it turned out so yummy, that I decided to share it with you and hope you'll forgive the lack of elaborate directions :)

What first grabbed my attention with this recipe is that it's pretty darn healthy.  It's basically some legumes, veggies, and a little salad dressing (that can definitely be low-cal).  Now that I've made it, I totally agree with the Allrecipes reviewers in that at first, this salsa doesn't look or taste like anything spectacular.  But as it sits in your fridge, you'll find yourself grabbing the bowl over and over again; it's kind of addictive.  Seriously, give this stuff a chance.

Enjoy!

Spicy Bean Salsa

adapted from Allrecipes

1, 15 oz can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

1, 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1, 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained

1/2 c. chopped red onion

1/2 c. chopped orange (or red or yellow) bell pepper

1, 4 oz can diced jalapeno peppers

2 roma tomatoes, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c. cilantro, minced

1/2 - 3/4 c. Italian-style salad dressing**

Throw all the ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine.  Refrigerate at least overnight before serving.  Best if it marinates for a full day before serving.

** Start with 1/2 cup dressing and add more, depending on how juicy your mixture is.

Chipotle Shrimp Salad

Ingredients:
1/4 vegetable oil
4 Tbs. white vinegar
1 Bottle of Saucy Mama Lime Chipotle Marinade
1 1/2 cups cooked corn, fresh, frozen or canned
2 1/2 cups shrimp, fresh or frozen (thawed), peeled and deveined
2 red bell peppers cut into slices
12 cups baby spinach

For the Dressing:
Whisk together vegetable oil, vinegar and 2 Tbs. Saucy Mama Lime Chipotle Marinade

For the Salad:
1.  Marinate the shrimp in the Saucy Mama Lime Chipotle Marinade for 15-20 minutes
2.  Heat grill to medium heat
3.  Spray grill basket with nonstick spray
4.  Place pepper strips in grill basket and grill for 10 minutes, turning occasionally
5.  Add shrimp to grill basket and cook approximately 2 minutes on each side (shrimp will turn orangey-pink when done)
6.  Let peppers cool and then dice.
7.  Divide spinach among 6 plates
8.  Top with shrimp, peppers and corn
9.  Drizzle with dressing

For another great recipe and a  chance to win a Saucy Mama product pack hop on over to  Life in the BAT Cave and find out how you can enter! 

Grilled Chicken, Peach and Arugula Salad

This recipe comes from my All You Eat Well, Save Big Cookbook.  I think this is the perfect summer meal for a hot day.  No need to turn on the oven and make your house hot and it left me feeling satisfied but not stuffed.  I give this one a 4 spoons rating.

 Visit me at Life in the BAT Cave

Ingredients:
5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. finely chopped shallot
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt
4 peaches, halved, pits removed
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 4 oz. each)
8 cups baby arugula or other tender salad greens (I used an arugla and spinach blend)

Directions:
1.  Preheat grill to medium-high.  In a large bowl, whisk together 4 Tbsp. oil, vinegar, shallot, mustard and 1/2 tsp. salt. 

2.  Brush peaches with 1 tsp. oil.  Grill, cut side down, until peaches are warmed through, about 4 minutes.  Remove fruit from grill. 

3.  Brush chicken on both sides with remaining 2 tsp. oil and sprinkle with salt.  Grill until cooked through, turning once, about 8 minutes total.  Cut chicken into thin diagonal slices.  Cut the peaches into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

4.  Add greens to bowl with dressing and toss.  Divide greens among serving plates, top with peaches and sliced chicken, and serve. 

Nana Flora's Awesome Potato Salad

I wanted to share with you my mother, Nana Flora's, awesome potato salad recipe. The flavor of this salad is outstanding. Really. Of course I wouldn't be my mother's daughter if I didn't play with the recipe a bit and add my own twist! When I saw these beautiful garlic scapes at the farm stand down the street I knew I wanted to try substituting these for the scallions in this recipe.

Nana Flora's Awesome Potato Salad

*

Ingredients:
8 red potatoes, scrubbed and sliced
1/2 lb. of fresh green beans, stemmed and sliced
1/4 cup sliced scallions OR 1/4 cup cup garlic scapes chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 Tbsp. Fresh Tarragon chopped (or 3 tsp. dried)
3 Tbsp. Fresh Dill chopped (3 tsp. dried)
3 Tbsp. Fresh Chives chopped
3 Tbsp. White Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbsp. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. Spicy Brown Mustard

Boil potatoes 6-8 minutes.

Add the green beans and cook another 3 minutes. If you're using scapes add these to the boiling water at the same time as the green beans to soften them up a bit.While the vegetables are cooking mix vinegar, EVOO, Chicken Broth, Spicy Brown Mustard, Salt & Pepper together to make the dressing. Set aside.

Drain potatoes, rinse in cold water and drain again. Add your chopped herbs.

Pour on the dressing and stir gently.

My pictures do not do this salad justice. The flavors of the dressing and fresh garden herbs are out of this world. I particularly like that there is no mayo in this potato salad. It's wonderful at summer dinners, barbecues and picnics and the flavor just gets better as it sits over night.
Enjoy!

Our boys will not eat ANY potato salad but all of the adults at the 4th of July barbecue gave this a definate 5 spoons!