Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Beyond vinaigrette

I spent years only eating oil + vinegar based dressings, and I still love them. But lately I find myself making creamy salad dressings almost all the time. I think it started with that amazing broccoli slaw from Jeanette and just hasn't stopped. It's a phase, I guess.

creamy herb salad dressing
{creamy herb salad dressing}

I don't have a strict recipe for the dressing and it varies depending on what I have on hand. It's loosely inspired by the classic Caesar, but flavored with herbs and sans raw egg. You end up with this creamy, tangy dressing that's really fresh tasting because of the greenery.

layered
{layered}
My current favorite creamy salad dressing 
(aka vaguely Mexican style Caesar salad dressing) 
3 - 4 big spoonfuls of 2% greek yogurt
1 big spoonful of mayo
Small handful (maybe 1/4 cup?) of sunflower seeds
Handful of cilantro, stems removed
1 small can of chopped green ortega or hatch chilies
Dash of Tapatio
Salt to taste (maybe 1/2 tsp? I like my food salty) 
Blend* thoroughly. Makes enough for a couple salads, depending on how heavily you dress them. Stores just fine in the fridge for a couple days, just shake it up before using. 
To change the flavor, you swap out the herbs and omit the chilies (you'll need a little bit of extra liquid if you don't have the chilies, a few teaspoons of water is fine) and Tapatio and add in some other flavors. A little bit of lemon or lime juice can be a great addition. Basil pairs nicely with walnuts and sundried tomatoes packed in oil. I'd like to see if there's a way to make it work with more delicate flavors like thyme. I'll be playing around with it all summer, for sure.


* I've always hated our full size blender and now I'm obsessed with this tiny one we got as a wedding gift. You blend directly in the container and then put a lid on it to store or take with you (really handy for smoothies). Fewer dishes, less waste and it takes up much less space in the cupboard. Love.

Guys! While I was searching for the one I have so I could show you, I just realized the same company makes one really similar but fitted so you can blend directly in mason jars and avoid the BPA in plastics (not a huge issue of mine, but I do feel more comfortable with glass in general). I might switch over at some point.

23 comments:

  1. yum! i'm a huge fan of creamy dressings. my brother-in-law is the real pro at making them in our fam, but i've learned to make a pretty close approximation. bonus tip: lots of old-school style blenders actually allow you to attach a mason jar right to the base. we use them all the time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh! I'll have to check out our full size blender, which is currently lurking in the back of a cupboard unused. I hate it, but I can't throw it away because then how would we make blended margaritas in the summer?

      Delete
  2. thanks for the recipe! i'll be playing around with this for sure... we've got a great cuisinart blender that is similar to yours; it's got four smoothie cups & lids, and a smaller chopping cup & a closed lid for storing things as well. it also comes with a full sized blender pitcher, for those hot days when we want blended margaritas :) it's great - i bring a smoothie to work every morning, and the clean up is so easy! and the plastic in this one is BPA-free (which definitely sold me). http://www.amazon.ca/Cuisinart-Compact-Portable-Blending-Chopping/dp/B0048I0XHU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_k_2 (that's the canadian listing, because i am indeed canadian!)
    yay!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, they are the best, right? I had no idea the little ones existed until I was browsing for the wedding registry and now we use ours all the time. Nice that yours is BPS free!

      Delete
  3. I grew up with oil and vinegar as my dressing and slowly started hating it. In college, I took the typical American route and used mostly bottled dressings. But not that I'm on my own and really enjoy cooking, I've been experimenting with making different dressings too! It's not as hard as I thought, once you get the hang out it! This looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I still like oil and vinegar, but I get so tired of it. I think it was in vogue around here for way too long. Glad that you're enjoying the homemade stuff too!

      Delete
  4. i've never tried this kind of dressing. my salad jam of late is to poach an egg and mix it into my salad with some salt and pepper, no dressing needed. i like that i'm getting the protein of the egg and no extra fat from oil and it makes things really simple.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Smart lady! Sadly, D is not on board with the poached egg on salad, but I definitely do that for breakfasts and love it.

      Delete
  5. mexican caesar salad dressing is a big favorite in our house as well, but i was hoping to find a more natural version than the approximations of el torito's i usually attempt (which are still damn tasty) - thanks for this. i'm super-intrigued by your tiny blender, as well - we use our immersion blender almost exclusively these days, as i hate mucking around with the big, messy one, and i think this could work for us. helpful as always, R!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oddly enough (or not at all?) I've also spent some time researching the el torito version. This is not the same, but it is reminiscent and totally worth the attempt.

      I have a rocky relationship with the immersion blender. In a fit of excitement after receiving it I attempted to use it to make cheesecake and managed to accidentally blend my finger in the process (learned the hard way - unplug the damn thing if you have a twitchy trigger finger and need to try to clean cream cheese out of the blades).

      Delete
  6. Replies
    1. Just the brand name for the jars most commonly used for canning jams, jellies and things. I always have a ton of them lying around because my family makes jam most years, so they're handy!

      Delete
  7. This looks delicious! We're making a stronger effort to eat more homemade dressings and this would definitely add to my repertoire. I love my immersion blender, but one that blends directly into mason jars? Awesome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The tiny blender is handy and much neater for me. I tend to spray things all over the kitchen with the immersion blender (although I still love it because I rely on it pretty heavily for soups).

      Delete
  8. I did the same thing after making that slaw. I started tossing creamy dressings all over green salads and I really enjoyed the mix of flavours. I just use a lidded jar and shake like crazy or use a whisk if I need to smooth out any lumps. But your teeny tiny blender looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That slaw is dangerous, lady! Very addictive. I'm so glad you posted it.

      Delete
  9. This looks yummy!

    In case you want to enter and comment, my blog is http://fallinlove.com.ar/?lang=en

    Lau

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh my gosh, it looks so good! Greek yogurt is one of the few dairy products I can eat, and finding a Caesar dressing made without milk products is a) hard and b) usually means it's made with scary ingredients.

    I need to try your recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just as long as you don't expect it to be a true Caesar! It is sort of similar, but definitely not the same. I can promise that it's tasty, though.

      Delete
  11. Made this tonight for a Monday night dinner with the girls. Everyone loved it



    http://espressocookie.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow, this was so good. Just had it with lunch, and had to restrain myself from drinking the leftovers. I made mine with toasted pepitas/pumpkin seeds and a dash of lime. Really reminded me of the El Torito dressing others have mentioned, which I adore.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I tried it. Best.vinaigrette.ever.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Need to try this!! Looks amazing, wow! xo, Julie
    www.fromproseccotoplaid.com

    ReplyDelete

Trying captchas this time - better or worse than having to log in to comment? Let me know! Sorry for all the hoops but the spam has been terrible lately!