Category Archives: SALAD DRESSING RECIPES

BLACK GARLIC VINAIGRETTE (2 WAYS)

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So, here’s the deal. I can’t stop making vinaigrette with at least one of my two (out of three) favorite new-to-me ingredients. The third ingredient I’m now absolutely crazy about is chocolate olive oil, but I have yet to include it in a salad dressing. But you never know, I might just give it a try some day. (Don’t hold your breath!)

But the other two, black garlic and preserved lemons, both introduced to me by my sister-in-law Katie, are just so delicious it’s a wonder I was able to cook anything worth eating before my recent initiation. I actually have a third vinaigrette recipe to share with you when I post Katie’s recipe for Emmer Farro Salad with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette. Coming soon, I promise! But back to these two recipes.

Let’s see, what more should I say about black garlic and preserved lemons? Perhaps I should talk a bit about what they are. Because if you are like me, I had no idea they even existed, much less what to do with them!

Black garlic is a type of aged garlic often used in Asian cuisine. It is made by heating whole heads of regular old fashioned store bought garlic slowly over the course of 2-3 weeks. The taste is earthy and somewhat similar to roasted garlic, but with sweet and syrupy hints of balsamic vinegar and molasses. Much more mellow than raw or cooked garlic. The texture is kind of sticky and spongy like you would imagine if it were a clove of garlic disguised as a black gummy bear. (At least that’s what it reminds me of. Not the flavor of course, but the texture and appearance.)

Black garlic is rich in phytonutrients and disease-fighting compounds. It also contributes to other health benefits including anti-inflammatory effects, immune system support, and improved cardiovascular function, plus it’s packed with antioxidants. Black garlic is perfect in salads, pastas, sauces for various meats, ice cream (just kidding), and any other dish that would benefit from a mellow, kind of sweet essence of garlic. In other words – it’s a perfect ingredient!

Preserved Lemons are fresh lemons preserved in salt and lemon juice. (Or in the case of my made-up recipe, a couple of additional ingredients.) Great in Moroccan dishes and any savory recipe calling for lemon zest/rind or lemon juice. Perfect in salads, salad dressings, pasta dishes, main dishes, you name it!

And because I am ever so slightly on the crazy side, I am attempting to produce these fun new culinary delights in the privacy of my own kitchen. So even as I write, I have lemon pieces submerged in a brine of salt, a wee bit of sugar, crushed red pepper flakes, and six peppercorns spending their long summer days in my refrigerator. And in my small new rice cooker sitting on the counter of my outdoor kitchen, I have several heads of garlic set on the warm setting beginning their long 2-3 weeks of incarceration to become (hopefully) beautiful heads of black garlic. If these recipes work, I will share them with you.

In the meantime, look for black garlic and preserved lemons at your favorite upscale grocery store, or do a bit of on-line shopping. Both of these products are worth investigating.

And as for chocolate olive oil, I’m going to try making it myself too. For a lovely recipe starring chocolate olive oil, see my recipe for Chocolate Olive Oil Cupcakes with Creamy Chocolate Frosting.

Have fun with these wonderful ingredients. If you have recipes that include any of the above, please send them along. I’d love to hear from you.

BLACK GARLIC AND PRESERVED LEMON VINIAGRETTE

  • 2 cloves black garlic, finely minced
  • 1 clove regular garlic, finely minced
  • 1 T. finely minced fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 2 T. red wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp. preserved lemon brine
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 T. extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients in a lidded container and shake the heck out of it. Refrigerate until needed. Allow dressing to come to room temperature before using on your favorite salads. Will hold in the refrigerator for several days.

BLACK GARLIC AND SHALLOT VINIAGRETTE

  • 2 cloves black garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 small clove fresh garlic, finely minced
  • 1 T. finely chopped shallot or red onion
  • 3 T. red wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 T. extra virgin olive oil

Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour over any of your favorite salad ingredients. For a smoother and creamier dressing, like seen above, whirl in a small food processor or blender. (See picture below.) Vinaigrette can be stored in refrigerator for several days. Best if brought to room temperature before dressing your salad.

Not a paid advertisement! I love my small commercial food processor for tiny jobs like this salad dressing. A bit spendy, but worth every dollar!

ASIAN SALAD WITH GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN SLICES

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As promised, this is another recipe to help you feature leftover pork tenderloin. In this case, the pork tenderloin I used was from my recipe for Grilled Soy Sauce Marinated Pork Tenderloin on this site. And it all came together beautifully.

First of all I should tell you once again that I love main course dinner salads. And if the meat or protein is already cooked, all the better! One less step for me. Of course the hacking and slashing of the veggies (my friend Vicki’s term for cutting vegetables) still has to occur, and the dressing still has to be prepared, but what the heck, there’s still one less step to construct. (I’ll take all the help I can get on this one, because I do get tired of chopping veggies and building salad dressings!) But I love salads, so I guess it’s a small price to pay to eat a dish that’s healthy from all the veggies and dressed with a vinaigrette that’s not only tasty, but doesn’t contain ingredients I can’t pronounce! Like I said, all the better.

So next time you have leftover meat of any kind, use it in a salad. Have leftover roasted veggies, they are wonderful in salad too. Dried fruit, nuts, and seeds can also add a wonderful touch to an otherwise boring combination of lettuce and dressing. Let your imagination be your guide.

And please do make your own salad dressings. Homemade dressings save money, and help insure that only quality ingredients reach the lips of the ones you love. Of course, the shelf life on homemade dressing is very short in comparison to that bottle of dressing you purchased how many months ago? I rest my case!

  • 2 T. vegetable oil
  • 2 T. sesame oil
  • 1 T. finely minced fresh ginger
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
  • 2 T. white vinegar (not white wine vinegar; the old fashioned inexpensive vinegar)
  • 1 T. fresh lemon juice
  • ½ tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 c. chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 c. thinly sliced red cabbage
  • ½ c. finely diced celery
  • ½ c. sliced green onions
  • 1 med. carrot, grated
  • ½ c. frozen edamame, thawed
  • 2 T. toasted sesame seeds
  • ½ c. toasted slivered almonds
  • thinly sliced grilled pork tenderloin (I use leftover Grilled Soy Sauce Marinated Pork Tenderloin on this site.)

Whisk or shake together the vegetable oil, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper.

Combine the romaine, cabbage, celery, green onions, carrot, edamame, sesame seeds, and almonds in a salad bowl. Pour on enough salad dressing to moisten. Avoid adding too much dressing or the salad will taste heavy or over-dressed. (It is meant to be a light and refreshing salad and just perfect for a warm summer evening.)

Scoop salad onto individual plates and top with pork. 

 

CHEF SALAD WITH THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING

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I love salad for dinner. Especially if it’s a salad that contains some of my favorite ingredients. I just can’t begin to tell you how many times I order a chef salad when we go out for dinner. Well actually, either a Chef Salad or a Shrimp/Crab Louie. I love them both equally. (Which reminds me. I haven’t posted my recipe for a truly tasty Louie on this site yet. I shall endeavor to correct this glaring omission in the very near future!) But back to the recipe at hand.

Another thing I love – going out to dinner. But, and that’s a capitalized “but”, not too often. I like to go out about every 7-10 days. That gives me just enough of a break from cooking to not feel tethered to my stove! Because, as I’m sure you all know by now – I truly love to cook. But as with everything else, a wee bit of “time-off”, is always appreciated.

But the other night, I didn’t want to go out. Not out for dinner, or even to the grocery store for ingredients I might be lacking. So I opened the refrigerator door and found almost everything I needed for this salad. (I didn’t have cherry tomatoes or an English cucumber, but we managed to eat the salad regardless.)

So next time you get a hankering for a big old dinner salad, give this recipe a try. And don’t worry if one or two items are missing, or you want to replace them with something else. That’s the beauty of this salad. You can adapt it to whatever you have on hand. Well, the lettuce part is pretty much a necessity, but it doesn’t have to be romaine and arugula. It can be a spring mix, or iceberg or “whatever” lettuce, if that is your preference. Don’t like Thousand Island dressing, use ranch or another dressing you happen to have on hand. The main thing is to use healthy and delicious ingredients that you and your family enjoy. This is a salad filled with love. Just because it happens to be fairly healthy, should not be held against it.

A toast to summer, to salads, and to all of you out there who provide delicious and nutritious food for your family and friends. Salud!

THOUSAND ISLAND SALAD DRESSING

  • 1 c. mayonnaise (I use Best Foods/Hellmann’s Light mayonnaise)
  • ¼ c. ketchup, or more to taste
  • 1-2 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp. prepared horseradish, or more to taste
  • dash hot sauce (I use Frank’s RedHot)
  • 2 T. dill pickle relish or 2 T. finely diced dill pickle (I usually use dill pickle relish)
  • pinch kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ c. minced green onion
  • 3 T. finely minced black olive
  • 1 T. minced fresh parsley

Combine all ingredients. Store in a covered container in your refrigerator. Can be made ahead. BTW – great on Rueben Sandwiches. (See recipe on site.)

CHEF SALAD

  • 4 slices thick, meaty bacon cut into small pieces and fried until crisp
  • ½ c. small chunks of deli Black Forrest ham
  • ½ c. small chunks of deli roasted turkey or chicken
  • 1/3 c. sharp cheddar cheese cubes  
  • ½ c. Swiss, Gouda, Manchego, Emmental, or Gruyère cubes (or cheese of choice)
  • ½ c. black olive slices
  • 1 c. thinly sliced English cucumber (I partially peel and seed the cucumber before cutting into chunks)
  • 2 hardboiled eggs, peeled and cut into wedges or slices
  • 6-8 c. chopped romaine 
  • 1 c. baby arugula leaves, opt. (I love the fresh peppery taste)
  • ¼ c. thinly sliced green onion
  • ½ c. halved cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1 avocado, cut into thin slices
  • 1 c. croutons
  • Thousand Island Salad Dressing, or dressing of choice  

Prepare the salad dressing and keep in fridge until needed. (Can be made ahead.)

Prep the bacon, ham, turkey or chicken, cheeses, black olives, cucumber, and hardboiled eggs. Set aside.

When ready to serve, combine the romaine, arugula, sliced green onion, and tomatoes in a salad bowl.

Spread the lettuce mixture on 2-3 dinner plates. Divide the bacon, ham, turkey or chicken, cheeses, black olives, cucumber, and egg slices onto each plate in individual sections. Garnish with the avocado and croutons. Serve the dressing on the side. This recipe makes 2-3 good sized dinner salads.

 

 

 

 

 

CREAMY AND CHUNKY BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

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And yes I do have another blue cheese dressing recipe on this site and it is still one of our favorite dressings (Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing). But I recently found this amazingly delicious set of instructions by Chef John containing just the right amount of flavor difference to provide us with a new, but still perfect blue cheese dressing varietal. (Mr. C. and I consider blue cheese dressing to be our favorite way to add an enormous amount of calories to what would otherwise constitute a low fat, perfectly healthy bowl of vegetables, aka – a green salad.) (And yes I know the term “varietal” is usually only associated with wine, but I think the word is perfect in this case. My blog, my word!)

So what’s a girl to do when confronted with a new recipe that looks delicious? Well I can only speak for this “girl”, and I simply had to prepare it almost immediately! And I am so glad I did, because there is just nothing that rocks our world as much as a fabulous blue cheese dressing liberally topping crisp greens and assorted other veggies. Throw a few homemade croutons on top and you have two happy campers. (Speaking of happy campers, the pictures at the end of this post are of our trailer and the fabulous campsite we scored at Harris Beach State Park in Brookings, Oregon during our recent trailer trip. The 4 pictures after that are why we went on a trailer trip!)

But back to this recipe. Seriously, you must give this recipe a try if you are a blue cheese dressing epicure. There is simply nothing on the market that can compare. Thank you Chef John Mitzewich, wherever you may be.

  • ½ c. mayonnaise
  • ½ c. sour cream
  • ½ c. buttermilk
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp. dry mustard
  • ¼ tsp. sugar   
  • tiny pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 4 oz. finely crumbled blue cheese

Place mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk into a bowl. Add salt, black pepper, dry mustard, sugar, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk together thoroughly.

Place about half of the mixture into a small food processor. Add the garlic clove and half of the blue cheese. Whirl until smooth. Pour the blended mixture into the remaining cream base and stir in the rest of the crumbled blue cheese. Adjust seasoning.    

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (preferably overnight) to meld the flavors.

 The following are pictures from inside our home just 2 days before we left on our trailer trip. 

 

ITALIAN MIXED GREEN SALAD

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I call this an Italian salad because the dressing is more like an Italian dressing than not. I hope that makes sense. Of course it does to me, but sometimes my thinking is a bit off as I’m sure you have already perceived if you are familiar with my writing and recipes. Plus, I just couldn’t think of any other name for this combination of ingredients.

It all started because I thought I wanted to prepare a Panzanella Salad (Tuscan Bread Salad) for an Italian themed pre-concert supper I was preparing last Sunday. But when I realized that the three pastas I was serving plus the sourdough bread contained more than enough flour already, I decided a simple mixed salad with a kind of toned down “panzanella like” dressing would be perfect. Thus this recipe. BTW, if you love Panzanella Salad, please try my recipe already on this site.

And of course in my haste to get all the food set out for our guests, I failed to take a picture of this salad. But then, you all know what salad looks like. So you will simply have to use your imagination. (I can already hear those synapses (tiny gaps across your nerve cells or neurons sending impulses to other neurons causing your mind to be focused and electric) synapsing. In other words, I’m actually doing you a favor by not posting a picture of this salad. Proof once again that my thinking may be a bit off!)

Regardless, this is a really good salad and I hope you prepare it in the near future.

  • 2 tsp. sugar 
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt 
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • pinch crushed red pepper flakes 
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ¼ c. fresh parsley, loosely packed, then finely chopped 
  • 2 T. red wine vinegar   
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • ¼ c. mayonnaise 
  • ¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped into bite sized pieces
  • ½ head iceberg lettuce, chopped into bite sized pieces
  • ½ c. halved cherry or grape tomatoes
  • ¼ red onion, very thinly sliced
  • ½ English cucumber partially peeled, seeded, and diced  
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, diced 

Whisk the sugar, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic, parsley, vinegar, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and olive oil together. Set aside or refrigerate.

Place the romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, and yellow bell pepper in a large salad bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat the lettuce leaves.

Optional ingredients: Kalamata olives, thinly sliced pepperoncini, carrot, celery, basil, salami, cheese, etc. etc.  

ASPARAGUS, ROMAINE, PROSCIUTTO, AND TOASTED ALMOND SALAD

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The other evening I couldn’t decide whether to make a green salad or cook some asparagus to accompany the Cabbage Casserole with Meatballs (recipe on site) and roasted sweet and Yukon gold potato chunks I planned to serve to family. I really didn’t want to fix a total of 4 dishes for a simple family meal, (4 is too many, 2 not enough), so I decided to go on line and see what I could find that combined romaine and asparagus. Well I found a recipe for a salad with only 4 ingredients on the Genius Kitchen site. (Great site BTW!) Of course right away I changed 2 of the 4 ingredients. (Of course I did!) Plus the site only gave suggestions for a dressing, rather than including one on the post. So I invented one that I felt would best complement the romaine, asparagus, prosciutto, and almonds.

And darn, if the salad didn’t turn out good. In fact it was delicious! And easy to fix. And each part could be prepared ahead of time and assembled just before serving. (My kind of salad, especially when cooking for guests!)

So next time you want a salad that also includes a green veggie, give this recipe a try. And yes, combining the salad and veggie is kind of a lackadaisical way of cooking. But I prefer to think of it as merely being “efficient”. I could of course refer to myself as simply being lazy. But lazy has such a negative connotation. I’ll stick with efficient.  

  • 1 T. finely diced shallot
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 T. sour cream
  • ¼ c. extra virgin olive oil   
  • 4-5 slices prosciutto 
  • 1 lb. asparagus, woody ends removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1½ hearts of romaine lettuce, cut into bite sized pieces
  • ¼ c. toasted slivered almonds

Whisk together the shallot, salt, pepper, mustard, lemon juice, sour cream, and olive oil. Store in the refrigerator until needed.

Place slices of prosciutto on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 13 minutes or until fairly crisp. Remove from oven and let cool. Break or cut into pieces; set aside.

Blanch the asparagus pieces in boiling water for 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Immediately dump into a bowl of ice water. When cold, drain and use a couple of paper towels to blot dry. Set aside.

When ready to serve, toss the prosciutto, asparagus, lettuce, and toasted almonds together. Add enough of the salad dressing to moisten the salad nicely, but not drown the ingredients. 

Note: The beauty of this salad, besides being delicious, is that every part can be prepared ahead of time. Isn’t that nice!

RANCH DRESSING AND DIP

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Yes, I know. There is just something terribly ordinary about ranch dressing. So call me “ord” for short. Unlike some people’s incorrect perception of my culinary tastes, I am a devoted fan of ordinary food. Really fabulous ordinary food you realize, but still common and easily prepared or obtained.  I love burgers and mac and cheese and almost anything homemade. I’m actually uncomfortable in a restaurant when the entrée is over $30. I do dine at fancy restaurants, albeit infrequently, but only for special occasions. Then, while eating the “whatever”, I entertain myself by analyzing the cost of the ingredients in the dish or dishes I am eating. (And yes, I do consider the time it took to prepare the dish.) With few exceptions, I usually find that what we patrons are actually paying for is the bragging right. “We dined at Le Rip-Off Bistro last evening. It was marvelous, simply marvelous!”

If the food is actually amazing, I can forgive the price tag. Well at least a little bit. But if the food is mediocre, it not only depresses me; it makes me mad! Now, how fun is that? So I am usually better off dining at a restaurant where the food is good, but the term gourmet would never enter my head. So, having shared with you more than you ever wanted to know about me, let’s get on with this recipe.

The other evening, all I wanted as a side dish was a simple romaine and tomato salad with ranch dressing. So I proceeded with a basic recipe I had found in Sunset about 100 years ago, and added a couple of my own touches. The dressing turned out really, really good. Then we had our good buddies Jim and Margo over for dinner a couple nights ago, and I served the leftover dressing as a dip for crudité. (Just thought I’d use the cool French word for cut veggies just to prove I’m not totally lacking in culinary prowess! Don’t want to lose my gourmet fans after all!)

Anyway, enough blather. Just give this recipe a try. Use it as a dip or a salad dressing. Your choice. And if the mixture is a little too thick for the style of salad dressing you prefer, add a tiny bit more milk.

  • ½ c. sour cream (I use Mexican style)
  • 1/3 c. buttermilk (I use Bulgarian style)
  • 1 T. mayonnaise (I use Best Foods light)
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
  • ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp. dried dill weed
  • 1 tsp. dried parsley
  • 1 tsp. chopped dried chives, opt.
  • ¼ tsp. seasoned salt, or more to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a small jar; whisk until combined. Adjust seasoning. Refrigerate until needed.

 

KALE SALAD DRESSING

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I love Cooking Light magazine. And this recipe is just one of the many reasons.

This dressing and how it is served is the inspiration of the magazine editor, Hunter Lewis. In his “note from the editor” in the May 2017 issue, Mr. Lewis writes that when he serves this salad, quote “even after I’ve spent hours smoking a pork shoulder or roasting a prime rib for a dinner party; it’s this dressing that friends ask me to send them the next day.”

So far be it from me to question Mr. Lewis’s friend’s judgement. So I gave the salad a try. And – oh my!  This is now one of the best ways I know to eat kale. (Not that it’s a task to get me to eat my kale. I love kale almost any old way. OK, I haven’t had a kale smoothie or whatever they call those green drinks that are supposed to be good for you. I feel I’m still too young to start ingesting my vegetables in blendered form. I’m saving that for when I get really old and necessity dictates that I no longer chew my food!)  

I first made this salad for a Carr family dinner a month or so ago and my sister-in-law Katie was especially fond of it. Everyone else at table enjoyed it too, so of course I had to share it with you all. So I put the recipe in a safe place so I wouldn’t forget to publish it at my earliest convenience. Need I explain further? Of course I forgot all about it until last evening when again the Carr family sat down to dinner and Katie asked if I had published the recipe. I automatically assumed I had, because my intension was to do so. But when I checked this morning, no such recipe existed on my blog. (It’s terrible when you can’t remember something as simple as whether or not you posted a recipe! Makes me wonder what else is escaping my notice. Anyone else over the age of required distributions from your IRAs having the same problem? If so, please let me know so I can accept my fate with equanimity. But enough about the trials and tribulations of aging, and back to this delightful recipe.

Now I know this dressing is perfect with kale, but I see no reason why it wouldn’t be just as delicious over an assortment of salad greens or drizzled over sliced heirloom tomatoes. So do not hesitate. Prepare this dressing and get ready for a fantastic treat.

And Mr. Lewis, please accept my thanks for sharing this recipe with all of us.

Your devoted fan, Patti

  • 4 anchovy fillets
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 T. drained capers
  • 1 T. Dijon mustard
  • ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • ¼ tsp. ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
  • ½ c. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 bunches shredded lacinato or curly kale (or a combination)  
  • 1 c. finely grated Parmesan cheese

Chop anchovy fillets, garlic, and capers in a mini food processor (or blender). Add the Dijon mustard, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt, pepper, lemon rind and juice, and olive oil; process for 1 minute. Adjust seasoning. (Not too much salt. Remember, the Parmesan will also add salt to the mix.)

Place kale and Parmesan in a salad bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat the leaves. (Do not overdress the salad.) Refrigerate leftover dressing.

CARIBBEAN ROMAINE SALAD WITH LIME AND HONEY DRESSING

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Just when you think you have tasted every possible way to dress up plain old romaine (my favorite salad green by-the-way), along comes another salad dressing recipe that is off the charts delicious. I found this recipe by Monica Matheny while I was looking for a dressing recipe that had all the essential elements of Caribbean cuisine, but didn’t contain hard to find or expensive ingredients. I mean really, who needs pineapple juice or mushed mangoes in their dressing anyway? Not me! Give me an easy to prepare dressing and some crisp romaine lettuce and I am one happy rabbit. And since Caribbean food can be a bit spicy, a nice simple salad slathered with this dressing is the perfect side dish.

So the other evening when I made Caribbean Pork Stew (on this site) and served it over rice, this delicious salad was a perfect addition to the meal. As Alfred Hitchcock once said to his wife Alma when she asked him before a party if she looked OK, he answered “very presentable my dear, very presentable”. (Not the answer a woman wants to hear, but if you apply it to a salad to serve with other Caribbean dishes, it’s a perfect response.) This salad is indeed – very presentable.

So as they say in the Caribbean – bon appétit. (You were expecting something else? Nope! Most languages spoken in the Caribbean are either European languages (namely English, Spanish, French and Dutch) or European language-based creoles. English is the first or second language in most Caribbean islands and is also the unofficial “language of tourism”, the dominant industry in the Caribbean region. So of course you are going to hear – bon appétit, even if it’s French. It’s still the universal toast for – have a happy meal!)

  • ¼ c. fresh lime juice
  • 2 T. honey
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp. granulated garlic
  • ¼ tsp. ground cumin
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ c. vegetable oil
  • 2 hearts of romaine, chopped

Shake the lime juice, honey, mustard, granulated garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper together in a covered jar. Add the oils and shake until well blended. Store in the refrigerator. When ready to assemble salad, place romaine in a salad bowl and pour on just enough dressing to lightly cover leaves.

ITALIAN SALAD DRESSING (version 1.2)

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When trying to decide which dressing would be best on a salad to go with a couple of rich pasta dishes, I decided I would serve my simple chopped romaine with a basic Italian dressing. I already had posted a really good Italian dressing on my blog, but I wanted something a little different. I wanted a more subtle dressing; a dressing that would be ever so light on the palate.  So I went on line and started researching “Italian Dressing”. The recipe you find below is my version of a dressing that has an abundance of flavor while still maintaining the “bearable lightness of being”. (Sorry Mr. Kundera for butchering the title to your acclaimed novel.)

So give this recipe a try. Just don’t limit its use to just green salads. I think it would work very well on a pasta salad, for example. It’s basically just a simple dressing that I’m sure your entire family will enjoy.

(And no, I did not include a picture of the dressing. I figured if someone wanted to know what Italian salad dressing looked like, they desperately needed a wild adventure in their life, i.e. a trip to their local grocery store!)

  • ¼ c. white wine vinegar
  • 2 T. water
  • 1 clove garlic, finely minced
  • 1½ tsp. sugar
  • ½ tsp. Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp. dried parsley
  • 1¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1-2 T. finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ c. vegetable oil
  • ½ c. extra virgin olive oil  

Combine all ingredients in a covered jar and shake until emulsified. Serve on any salad of choice. Best allowed to come to room temperature before using. Better made a day or two ahead.