The Best Salad Dressings Archives

Kale Salad with Dijon Dressing

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Okay, kale, it’s green. IT’S GREEN. It’s also very bitter. This is the first time I’m eating it raw. I’ve had it cooked in butter, and that’s always a good thing. I read an article of the benefits of eating lots of kale. Which, I already knew, but it’s GREEN. It said that kale is king of green foods. It’s packed with calcium, minerals, vitamins, fiber and great for those detox’ers. I thought, “What the hell. Why not? I’ll just add my Dijon dressing to it, and all will be right.” All the while, keeping my fingers crossed.

I took a few handfuls of chopped kale (about 2 cups). Since I didn’t have shredded carrots, I stole a few off the bunnies. Shhh! Buy a bag of shredded carrots, or julienne two small carrots.

Use about 1/4 cup of parsley and sliced green onions. Add about two tablespoons of sunflower seeds, and one tablespoon of sesame seeds.

Season with ground sea salt and ground black pepper. My mistake, I was thinking, “This is going to be one bitter salad,” that I added too much salt. – Trust me, it’s so good that you only need a little.

For my Dijon dressing: Mix together one tablespoon of EVOO and Dijon. Add in one teaspoon of vinegar. – Whisk.

Drizzle over the greens and toss. This salad is moan worthy.

Secret ingredient: Pair this salad with a Belgian Pale Ale, or even a Blue Moon.

Please share your ideas because this girl likes to eat.

Citrus Bluemoon Summer Ale Pasta Salad

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

This is definitely a unique and delicious pasta salad if I do say so myself. That, or it’s the two beers I drank whilst making this. Ha!

Tip

You can prepare everything in advance, however, mix it right before serving. Not sure why, but it tastes best the first day.

You may not want to use all the dressing. I suggest you gradually pour it while mixing your salad. You can decide how much is enough.

You’ll Need

1 cup of Bluemoon Summer Ale
3 tablespoons of shallots, minced
1 teaspoon of finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons of EVOO
1 pound of your favorite pasta, I used Rotini
1/2 cup of green onions, chopped
1/2 cup of pecans, chopped
1/2 cup of Kalamata olives, seeded and chopped
1 cup of Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 can of oranges, drained
1 cup of Mozzarella cheese, grated
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Let’s get started…

Grab a beer or seven, and turn on Pandora.

The Dressing

In a small bowl, whisk the beer, shallot, orange zest, honey, mustard and oil. Or, if you have a shaker, that would be best. Season the dressing with salt and pepper to taste. This can refrigerate up to three days. I wouldn’t push it any longer. Homemade dressings can get funky, awfully quick. Especially, without having the added preservatives.

When I use tomatoes in salads, I remove the center with a spoon. This helps to keep your salad from getting watery.

If you do not have time before serving, chop up everything ahead of time and store in your refrigerator. Right before serving, toss all your ingredients in a large bowl. Slowly pour the dressing over the top and mix it all together carefully.

Top it off with Mozzarella cheese.

Done! This salad does not take much time at all. Particularly, while drinking a beer.

You can also add in spinach or other vegetables. Play with it!

I would love to hear from you. Contact me because this girl likes to eat.

#gl2e

Top Secret’s Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing by Todd Wilbur

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Recently, our friend Val sent in a request,

“Dear Girl, I just love the ginger dressing you get from Hibachi restaurants. Any ideas?”

Why, yes I do! Whenever I eat at a Japanese restaurant, I look forward to the ginger dressing; always requesting extra. I even use the dressing for dipping crusty breads, and sometimes I use it to marinade my Sunday roast, or pork chops. Yummy!

I’ve never been to Benihana, but I have tried “Top Secret Recipes version of Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing” by Todd Wilbur. It is the best dressing. Even better than the average ginger salad found in your local Japanese restaurant.

It’s easy to put together. Todd’s instructions say to use a blender. With using a blender, I’ve found that you need to do a little fine chopping. However, since finding my Immersion Blender, I toss the roughly chopped ingredients into a pot and go at it with my handheld wonder stick. Less clean up too (our least favorite effort to cooking).

Todd has a ton of great recipes to try. You should check out Top Secret Recipes for lots of cool ideas and tips.

Hey Val! Let me know if you try it. This is definitely a win-win dressing.

You can find this recipe here: “Top Secret Recipes version of Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing” by Todd Wilbur.

Sesame Peanut Dressing

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Dedicated to our friend Ron.

Ron said, “I’m looking for a good sesame, peanut dressing. Can you come up with something for me?”

Me in response, “Hells yay!” I too love sesame and peanut’y tasting dressing. I’m actually shocked that I didn’t try this before. So, after a few failed attempts, I came up with this dressing.

You’ll Need:

1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup of sesame oil

1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter

3 teaspoons honey

1/4 cup of soy sauce

1/3 cup of water

2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds

1/4 teaspoon of red chili paste (optional)

IMPORTANT: Do not substitute the rice vinegar with other vinegars. Trust me, I learned the hard way. The ‘other’ vinegars make it too sour.

Very Hard Instructions:

Toss it all in a shaker and shake.

Pour over your favorite mixed greens. It’s also great over grilled chicken, and even roasts.

Ron, let us know what you think. We hope you like it. Keeping our fingers crossed. Haha!

Enjoy!

Do you have something you want us to create? Please share because this girl likes to eat.

Low-Cal Salad Dressing

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Since the girl likes to eat A LOT, she needs to watch what she eats. On occasion.

Actually, this healthy twist is a fully awesome alternative to regular store bought salad dressings.

Put a few spritz on your salad using a Misto with extra virgin olive oil. This will help hold the seasons to the leafy greens.

Every time I make a salad I try different greens to give it a variety in flavor. Especially, when we eat salads just about every day. For this salad I used:

Spinach

Plum tomatoes

Baby arugula

Fresh basil leaves

Sweet onion

Cucumber, skin on

Toasted sesame seeds

I always have a bag of toasted sesame seeds in my cupboard, and add it to many dishes. Sesame seeds give a great peanut’y crunch to your food.

For the dressing I just use spices in my cupboard. I also change the spices for each salad to give it a different flare. For this salad I used:

Crushed sea salt

Fresh cracked pepper

Paprika, a few dashes

Lime juice, a few squirts

Misto your greens, sprinkle on the spices and toss. That’s it!

I highly recommend you play around with your spices. It’s lighter and gourmet.

What are your favorite spices? Please share because this girl likes to eat.

Holy Moses White Ale Potato Salad

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Featured in Taste of Home Simple & Delicious

This potato salad and the Kale salad are great for hot, outdoor picnics because it does not call for mayo. It calls for beer. And, who doesn’t like beer? I’m not a potato salad fan, but I have to say, “I really love this.”

I’m not a fan I guess because most people use Miracle Whip, and I’m always hesitant to eat a mayo based salad on a hot day, especially, when it sits out for more than an hour. This salad has a longer picnic-table-shelf-life.

Let’s get started…

You’ll Need:

1 (24 oz.) bag of Fingerling potatoes

4 cups of baby arugula, or chopped kale

1 (11-12 oz.) package of grape tomatoes (or cherry)

2/3 cup crumbled bacon

6 green onions, diced (about 1 bunch)

1/2 cup of chives , diced

 1 (4 oz.) package of Gorgonzola crumble cheese

Dressing Ingredients 

1 package of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix

 1/2 cup of white ale style beer  (drink the rest)

2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Prep

You can cut the potatoes anyway you wish, however, I like cutting them at an angle. It makes it look more fancy, I think.

Boil the potatoes in a little sea salt for about 6-8 minutes, or until ‘fork’ tender. Drain and let cool.

While the potatoes boil, chop up your chives and green onions.

For the bacon, I bought a big bag of Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon, and have been keeping it in my freezer.

You can cut the tomatoes in half if you like, but I think it makes the salad soggy. Not to mention, it’s more work.

Whisk your dressing ingredients together. Very important: Consume the other 1/2 of the beer. Cooks don’t waste!

In a large bowl, toss in all the ingredients with the Gorgonzola cheese. If you do not like the blue taste of Gorgonzola, use feta. Feta gives the salad a milder taste.

Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss.

Tip: If you use baby arugula, you can get everything ready the day before. However, wait to toss it before you serve it. The arugula can become wilted. Kale is more hearty and can withstand sitting overnight in the refrigerator.

Secret Ingredient: I used Holy Moses White Ale by Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Enjoy!