I've been making this vinaigrette for years. It's a simple, classic vinaigrette that everyone loves. It's not too acidic and has just a hint of mustard. If your serving a simple salad toss the greens in this lovely dressing and fall in love. Lately, I've been using it on a vegan nicoise salad and it's out of this world good.
My Classic Vinaigrette
1 T minced shallot
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t sea salt
1/8 t freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t Dijon mustard
1/4 C white wine vinegar
3/4 C olive oil
In salad bowl, combine the shallot, garlic, salt, pepper, Dijon and white wine vinegar. Blend well. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Serve.
I have a daughter that only eats Ranch on her salads. In her world there is only one dressing and she'll go without a salad if Ranch isn't on the menu. So I set out to create something with a similar taste, texture and look, but more flavor and complexity. I don't like using soy products because they can be difficult to digest, so I turned to Vegenaise (the grape seed variety, but any Vegenaise will do) and threw in an avocado. This dressing is wonderfully creamy and perfect for people who aren't fans of vinegar and oil dressings. It can be put together quickly and gives you a nice alternative. Does my daughter like it? Yes!
Vegan Ranch Avocado Dressing Enough dressing for a large salad for four
1 avocado
1/2 C. Veganaise
1 t dried minced onion
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1 t - 1 T drained capers (optional)
pinch of white pepper
sea salt to taste
In a small bowl smash the avocado with the back of a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients combining well. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down on the dressing so air doesn't get to it, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Pour dressing over salad greens and toss until coated.
There's
little better in this world than fresh sweet corn and tomatoes at the
end of the summer. This is a recipe I posted two years ago. I made it again recently and its wonderful.
Fresh Sweet Corn and Tomato Salad
Serves 4
Dressing
2 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. olive oil
1 t. balsamic vinegar
¼ t. sea salt
¼ t. black pepper
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
Veggies
½ C. uncooked whole wheat orzo
¼ C. red onion, diced
1 C. tomato, diced
4 ears of fresh sweet corn, kernels cut off
½ C. cucumber, diced
Italian flat-leaf parsley
Cook
the orzo according to directions. While the pasta is cooking make the
dressing by whisking together the ingredients. Drain the pasta and put
it into a bowl. Spoon a little of the dressing over the pasta, stir to
coat and set aside to cool. Prepare the vegetables. When the orzo is
cool, mix the orzo, vegetables and remaining dressing together. Garnish
with parsley and serve.
This is a recipe I dreamed up two summers ago. And now with the tomatoes and corn just coming in, I made it again and thought it deserved a repeat performance. The
avocado dressing is wonderfully flavorful on top of the vegetables.
Avocado Sweet Corn Salad
Can be made quickly
Serves 4
Dressing
1 avocado
3 T fresh lemon juice
½ C. peeled and diced cucumber
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 t. sea salt
1/8 t. pepper
Salad
8 C. loosely pack lettuce – chopped romaine and mixed baby greens
2 ears of corn, kernels cut off
1 large tomato, cut into large bite size pieces
½ sweet pepper (I used an orange pepper), cut into bite size pieces
1/4 C. sweet onion, sliced and cut into bite size pieces
1 cucumber – (use the remaining cucumber from the dressing) peeled, seeded and cut into bite size pieces
To
make the dressing, cut and scoop out the avocado putting it into a food
processor. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until blended and
smooth. Put the salad ingredients into a large bowl and pour the
dressing over the salad. Gently toss to mix the dressing with the
vegetables and serve.
I found a recipe for braised endive that looked interesting. I played with the ingredients, added a dressing and came up with a warm salad that satisfied my family. This recipe will serve 2 - 3. It's easy and a great start to any dinner.
Braised Endive Salad
1 T olive oil
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 large endive
fresh lemon
sea salt
Slice the endive in half. Add the olive oil to a saute pan and warm on low heat. Place the thyme in the pan and arrange the endive on top. Season with salt and cover to cook over medium low heat. Cook for 20 - 30 minutes, until the endive is tender and slightly browned. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the pan and serve with the sun-dried tomato dressing that follows.
Sun-Dried Tomato Salad Dressing
5 sun-dried tomatoes, rough chop
1 T pine nuts
1/4 C olive oil
1 garlic clove, rough chop
1 sprig of thyme, leaves only
1/8 t sea salt
pepper to taste
Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and process until well blended. Refrigerate.
This has become my favorite salad dressing. It's fast, easy and the ingredients are always on hand. I LOVE my other sun-dried tomato dressing, but this is so simple, you gotta love it too! And as you'll see in an upcoming post, it inspired a new salad.
Sun-Dried Tomato Salad Dressing
5 sun-dried tomatoes, rough chop
1 T pine nuts
1/4 C olive oil
1 garlic clove, rough chop
1 sprig of thyme, leaves only
1/8 t sea salt
pepper to taste
Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and process until well blended. Refrigerate.
My best wishes to you for a happy and healthy NewYear. Let's make 2011 one of good health. Onward 2011!
The dressing:
1 large garlic clove,chopped
1 T chopped shallot
1 T balsamic, (I used Fustinis's 18 year old Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, WOW!)
1/2 C olive oil
5 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped
1 t capers, drained
1/4 t fresh thyme leaves
1/8 - 1/4 t salt
pepper to taste
In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil. Process, slowly adding the oil.
The salad:
1 - 2 hearts of Romaine
olive oil
black olives, Kalamata or Gaeta, cut in half (optional)
Cut the Romaine in half. Brush the cut side with olive oil and grill quickly. Top the Romaine with the dressing and a few pitted and sliced black olives. Serve.
Meg dropped off a butternut squash and a few pounds of potatoes that her sister Jean had harvested from her garden long ago. Let me tell you, having these beautiful vegetables delivered to my door in the middle of December really makes me want to dig up my back yard and sow a few seeds (not right now of course...). Anyway, I am thankful to Jean for thinking of me because we have enjoyed each and every bite, but I'm not done yet. I still have an enormous butternut squash that's large enough for two recipes. Half will be used in my butternut squash soup and the other in this recipe from Ina Garten that I copied from the Food Network website. Looks yummy doesn't it? I can't wait.
Ingredients
nocoupons
1 (1 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled and 3/4-inch) diced
Good olive oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dried cranberries
3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
1/2 cup walnuts halves, toasted
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (I will omit for myself, but use for my family)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the butternut squash on a sheet pan. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss. Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender. Add the cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes.
While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.
Place the arugula in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, the walnuts, and the grated Parmesan. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten and toss well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
My daughter use to eat at Chipolte everyday. She tells me the meal cost her $10.00, though I'm not sure I believe her. In all honesty, it was probably a ploy to extract more money from me. Anyway, there is a Chipolte Mexican Grill right at the heart of Michigan State University's campus, so it was easy to get to, and it didn't hurt that her roommate worked there either.
Interestingly, I recently learned that Chipolte is known for using the best local, fresh and organic ingredients available. So no matter what the cost was to me, it was worth it. You should really check out this article on the founder Steve Ells and this restaurant. It's impressive.
The following recipe is based on what my daughter loved to eat at Chipolte during her college years, and now that I've eaten this dish, I realize why she ate it daily. It's delicious. Serve it with Baked Tostitos and a margarita! Your entire family will love it. Yum!
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 cup brown rice, cooked according to instructions
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
olive oil
2 peppers, red and green
1 large onion
1 large cob of corn
Freshly made guacamole using 2 avocados
Hearts of romaine
Begin by cooking the rice. As the rice cooks, slice the corn off the cob and the onion into wide rings. Chop the lettuce. Rinse and drain the black beans. Put them into a sauce pan with a little water and warm them on the stove. Make the guacamole to your taste. Lightly oil the peppers and onion and lay them on the grill until slightly black and soft. Once the peppers have cooled to the touch, slice into long strips. When the rice is done you can begin assembling the plates. Lay the rice down first, then the beans, peppers, onions, corn, guacamole and romaine. Dive in!
As a side note, we made it vegetarian by adding cheese for the non-vegan family members.
This recipe comes from Ina Garten. She uses feta cheese in her recipe, which I omitted. Also, I added capers to the dressing for a little more flavor. It's a perfect summer salad, especially when using fresh vegetables from the garden. My family loved it and I will definitely make it again!
Ingredients
Good olive oil
1 small French baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices (approx. 6 cups)
Kosher salt
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, large diced
1 yellow bell pepper, large diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or one large tomato large diced
1/2 red onion, sliced in half rounds
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
For the vinaigrette:
nocoupons
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon capers, drained
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil
Directions
Place the cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.
For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl. While still whisking, add the olive oil and make an emulsion.
Heat a grill or grill pan. Pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl. With a pastry brush, lightly brush olive oil onto each piece of bread. Grill the bread turning as they brown. Once they are nicely browned remove and add to the salad.
Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the olives and grilled bread and mix together lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.
Now the story behind the recipe… I had company coming over for dinner and I wanted a quick, light salad that wasn’t leafy. I had read about combining cantaloupe with cucumber for summer salads, and I had both on hand, plus a kiwi! I put this combination together (very quickly) and served it with dinner. My daughter wasn’t impressed, but I really liked it and so did our friends. I’ll definitely serve it again (when she’s not around).
So now you have to make it and let me know what you think! I’d love to hear your ideas!!
Cantaloupe, Kiwi, Cucumber Salad
Serves 4
1/2 cantaloupe, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 English cucumber, peeled,seeded & cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1/8 C fresh lime juice
2T orange juice
pinch of salt
Toss the ingredients together and chill at least 1/2 hour. Then, just before serving, stir to coat with the dressing. Serve as is, or with salad greens.
Do you know what a muffaletta is? Well it's not vegan, that's for sure! It's a submarine-style sandwich made with a kind of bread that originated in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. It's usually starts with this bread and is layered with an olive salad (key ingredient), deli meats and cheese.
Long before I began eating as a vegan, I made one of these subs and it was excellent! (if you like smoked meats topped with an olive salad that is...) But it's the olive salad that makes the sandwich. It's very different and really tasty!
So, one day while I was cruising the internet I came across a recipe for a muffaletta salad. Reading the recipe brought back memories and I became intrigued with the idea of using the olive salad minus the meat. The base of this salad is from that recipe. I found it on the Food Network website. It's by Guy Fieri. As usual, I wasn't completely sold on the recipe as is. I thought I could improve on the dish, and I did!
Here are the changes I made...With the dressing, I changed the quantity of a couple of the ingredients and the length of time it is blended.Then, I changed the ingredients of the salad itself so it became more of a meal. The dressing is what really makes this dish. It's wonderful, really wonderful. You have to try it.
BTW, I took the salad to a neighbors house (with kalamata olives, not canned). She loved it, so I decided to post it. Thanks Joan!
Ingredients for the salad dressing
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup olive juice from can
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 cup diced black olives (I used kalamata)
1/2 cup diced green olives
1/2 cup diced marinated artichoke hearts, diced
1/2 cup diced celery
Directions
In a food processor or blender, combine the garlic, vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, olive juice, lemon juice, red chili flakes, pepper and all vegetables. Pulse until pureed. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator.
Salad ingredients
16oz. of orzo
1/2 red onion, minced
1/2 - 1 English seedless cucumber, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
3 green onions, sliced on a diagonal
the remainder of the black olives, sliced
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, minced
2-3 jars of marinated artichoke hearts
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Cook the orzo according to directions. Drain and coat with enough dressing to keep the pasta from sticking together and give it flavor. When the orzo is cool, add the vegetables and toss. Finally, add more dressing to taste and toss until well mixed. Refrigerate. You will end up with dressing left over, but it's great on greens and pasta!
I was asked to bring coleslaw to a luncheon. I didn't want to make a slaw I couldn't eat, so I came up with the following recipe. No one noticed it was minus the mayo, and by the end of the luncheon it was gone!
Coleslaw
6 cups of shredded cabbage
2 carrots, shredded
1 cup Vegenaise
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons cider vinegar (I used Bragg)
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon light agave
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
salt and pepper to taste
Toss the cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour it over the cabbage and carrots and toss to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate.
Right now fresh vegetables are at their peak and I can’t get enough of the sweet corn. In fact, I created this salad just so I could eat more! The avocado dressing is wonderfully flavorful on top of the vegetables. It was a hit with my family and I think you'll enjoy it.
Santa Fe Salad
Can be made quickly
Serves 4
Dressing
1 avocado
3 T fresh lemon juice
½ C. peeled and diced cucumber
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 t. sea salt
1/8 t. pepper
Salad
8 C. loosely pack lettuce – chopped romaine and mixed baby greens
2 ears of corn, kernels cut off
1 large tomato, cut into large bite size pieces
½ sweet pepper (I used an orange pepper), cut into bite size pieces
1/4 C. sweet onion, sliced and cut into bite size pieces
1 cucumber – (use the remaining cucumber from the dressing) peeled, seeded and cut into bite size pieces
To make the dressing, cut and scoop out the avocado putting it into a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until blended and smooth. Put the salad ingredients into a large bowl and pour the dressing over the salad. Gently toss to mix the dressing with the vegetables and serve.
There's little better in this world than fresh sweet corn and tomatoes at the end of the summer. This is my take on a recipe I saw on television one morning. It does have oil in it, but if you play with the amount of lemon juice and balsamic, you can omit the oil.
Fresh Sweet Corn and Tomato Salad
Serves 4
Dressing
2 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. olive oil
1 t. balsamic vinegar
¼ t. sea salt
¼ t. black pepper
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
Veggies
½ C. uncooked whole wheat orzo
¼ C. red onion, diced
1 C. tomato, diced
4 ears of fresh sweet corn, kernels cut off
½ C. cucumber, diced
Italian flat-leaf parsley
Cook the orzo according to directions. While the pasta is cooking make the dressing by whisking together the ingredients. Drain the pasta and put it into a bowl. Spoon a little of the dressing over the pasta, stir to coat and set aside to cool. Prepare the vegetables. When the orzo is cool, mix the orzo, vegetables and remaining dressing together. Garnish with parsley and serve.
