Besides my ever-present French dressing, which I grew up with, there are some other mixed salad dressings that I can pass along to organic cooks. Whether you are an old hand or very new to making your own food, your quality of life depends on what you eat. People who do not believe this are one of two types: either they are pudgy, lazy and tired because they subsist on packaged and junk foods, or they are the type of person with a strong constitution who can survive on anything. I don’t recommend that you throw away your strong constitution twenty years before its time by abusing it to death.
And if you are exhausted by the time you get home from work, and you head first for the freezer and then for the microwave, here’s the first thing to do to begin the reversal: stop drinking conventional soda.
If you buy a fast-food sandwich for lunch, order bottled water instead of soda or sweetened ice tea. Both are usually loaded with High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and they will spike your blood sugar and contribute to the mid-afternoon “blahs” that drive you to energy shots and coffee.
In a week or so you will begin to feel the leveling of your energy to a more consistent feeling, and maybe by the time you get home you can make a salad. And here’s what to put on it.
Long ago there was a legendary restaurant in the Pacific Islands called Earl’s Hut. It was literally blown away by a typhoon in Guam, but before it blew away, Earl gave his recipe for salad dressing to my mother.
HUT SALAD DRESSING
Ingredients:
½ cup sugar
½ cup ketchup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ cup vinegar
½ cup organic vegetable oil or very light olive oil
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic (mince it if you aren’t going to use a food processor or blender)
Mix everything together by machine or by shaking in a covered jar. This is a French-type dressing as well, and quite tasty.
If you like a creamy salad dressing, here’s a variation with a Greek twist from the yogurt that it contains.
GREEK SALAD DRESSING
Ingredients:
6 Tablespoons organic safflower oil
6 Tablespoons organic olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons red or white wine vinegar (white will keep the color nice and bright)
1 Tablespoon prepared mustard
1-1/2 Tablespoons plain yogurt
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground sage
¼ teaspoon ground thyme
¼ teaspoon ground basil
½ teaspoon ground oregano
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix for at least 1 minute. Refrigerate after preparing.
Here’s something that will please garlic lovers:
CREAMY GARLIC DRESSING
Ingredients:
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pint organic sour cream or sour cream substitute such as Tofutti or Imo
2 Tablespoons organic vegetable oil (olive oil isn’t necessary as the garlic will overwhelm its flavor)
1 Tablespoon vinegar (I’d use cider vinegar here)
1 pinch of dry herbs such as Herbes de Provence or Fines Herbes
3 Tablespoons organic or home-made mayonnaise or Vegenaise
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix until blended. You’ll also store this in the refrigerator.
If you would like to serve your salad dressing at table and allow your guests to dress their own salads, here is a recipe that looks gorgeous in a pretty glass dish:
CRYSTAL FRENCH DRESSING
Ingredients:
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
¼ cup vinegar (I would use white wine vinegar here)
1 cup organic vegetable oil such as safflower or canola
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, food processor or blender. Mix until combined and refrigerate until it is served. If the dressing separates, mix it again before putting it on the table.
All the above dressings are prepared in quantity and stored in your refrigerator. This is the typical way that people make and keep their salad dressing. However, in restaurants and on some occasions, you may want to make your salad at the table. Here is a truly spectacular salad preparation for those times:
PAULA DEEN’S CHOCOLATE VINAIGRETTE SALAD
Ingredients:
¼ cup oil
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup vinegar, whatever you like best
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon organic cocoa powder (for another taste sensation, substitute curry powder)
About a handful or organic salad greens per person
Start out with about a handful or organic salad greens per person. Place them in a bowl and set them aside. Cut one clove of garlic across and rub your salad bowl with it (wooden salad bowls work best here).
Place the salad-dressing ingredients into the salad bowl and mix them thoroughly. You prepare for this by putting the oil into one container, the vinegar in another and the dry ingredients in a third container. Then you mix them together in the bowl and add the greens. Toss the salad greens in the dressing and serve on individual salad plates.
Don’t be shy if you want to toss in olives, shredded carrots, sliced onions, croutons or other salad goodies to your taste. Go right ahead and make salad your own.
This is also a good point in your meal to serve your bread (and watch my next article for the bread recipe!).
Comments