Easy Caesar Salad Dressing

I brought Caesar Salad to a Mahjong party. I made homemade Caesar Salad dressing to go with it.  It did not have anchovies but you would not miss them. The garlic, lemon snd Worcestershire sauce combined magically make up for it and make this a to die for dressing.  So good. Garlicky with slight tang from lemon.

Easy Caesar Salad Dressing

• 4 garlic cloves
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6 tbsp light mayonnaise (I used Hellmanns)
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (I used Kraft brand)
• salt and pepper to taste

Using a small blender, blend the ingredients till smooth.

Linguine Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing

This is now my favorite pasta salad. I had it during our Book Club meeting at the McGinnis Specialty Store in Monroeville, PA and I just could not get it off my mind.  The hard salami in it makes the salad special plus of course the crunchiness of the various vegetables.  I initially used store bought Italian dressing but my husband complained that the whole salad did not appeal to him.  I added the homemade Italian dressing instead and I was surprised the herbs did not turn him off and he went gaga over the salad.

I used less oil than most homemade salad dressing calls for.  It actually works so do not worry serving the healthy dressing.  Its taste is amazing especially with the salad.  It is not too late to prepare it today, Labor Day.  It will be a hit.

Linguine Salad

• 16 oz linguine, cooked and cooled
• 1 zucchini, cubed
• 1 red pepper, cut into small pieces
• 1 cucumber, cubed
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 cup pimento olives
• 8 oz hard salami, cut into bite sizes
• 1 recipe Italian dressing (recipe below)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss.  

Homemade Italian Dressing

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp dry oregano
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dry thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dry parsley
• 1/2 tsp dry basil

Combine all the ingredients in a bottle with a screw cap. Replace the cap and shake till well mixed.

Apricot Walnut Chicken Salad

This was inspired by the cranberry walnut chicken salad I purchased at Aldis Grocery Store. You can find it in the refrigerator section of this store together with the other salads and cheeses.

I fell in love with it!  It was tangy yet sweet from the addition of cranberry.  It has that crunch from the walnuts which complements the creaminess of the dressing over the chicken pieces.

I baked a whole chicken yesterday and had plenty of leftovers.  I decided to mimic the Aldis version.  Since I did not have dried cranberries I substituted dried apricots instead. I also chose to use Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise but you definitely can use the latter instead.

This is pretty close to what Aldis sell.   Do tweak the proportions of the ingredients to your taste. It is a forgiving  and delicious recipe.

Apricot Walnut Chicken Salad

• 1 large cooked chicken breast, shredded
• 1/2 cup diced dry apricots
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup pickle relish
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup Miracle Whip dressing or low fat mayonnaise
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• sugar or splenda to taste (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.  

Serve between pieces of bread as a sandwich or over salad greens as a main dish.

The Best Potato Salad

For me this is the best potato salad.  I have had store bought potato salad from several delis and grocery stores, and I always yearn for my own recipe.  Here it is. To be plant based, skip the hard boiled eggs and use plant based mayonnaise.  The addition of a tiny amount of vinegar and sugar makes the difference between a bland or too sour a potato salad.  The amounts I gave here for me are the right proportions for the dressing.  The sugar can be adjusted if for example you happen to be using very sweet pickle relish.

This is a good basic recipe for a really good potato salad.  Give it a try. Hope it is not too late for your picnic and if it is, still prepare it to go with your leftover hot dogs and beans.

The Best Potato Salad

Salad

• 4 large peeled cooked potatoes, cubed
• 2 stalks celery, chopped finely
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup pickle relish
• 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped (skip for a plant based version)

Dressing

• 1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise or plant based mayonnaise
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar or to taste
• 2 tsp yellow mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• black pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and set aside. 

Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and add the dressing.  Mix thoroughly till the vegetables are coated with the dressing.    

Vita Mix Coleslaw

I brought this to the last activity, the one day retreat, of the St. John the Baptist (Plum, PA) Christ Alive Session two Saturdays ago. We had a pot luck lunch consisting of salads, desserts and Subway sandwiches.

Jack Patnik, head of the team, giving instructions to the retreatants. In the foreground are the tempting desserts.  My oh my.  

Peggy poses at the sumptuous array of food served at lunch.

Sue poses in front of the brownies she brought, one of many desserts that we enjoyed that day.

The heart of any salad is the dressing.  This one is sour from the cider vinegar sweetened by sugar or Splenda. I did add oil which can be skipped.  I added the dry onion, garlic and red pepper flakes for added flavor.  It is a simple and flexible recipe.  It is also delicious with any salad vegetables you choose.

As in most traditional slaws, cabbage was the main ingredient with the addition of carrots, radishes and green onions but other vegetables and fruit like apples can be used.  I added raisins for added sweetness to complement the acidity of the vinegar and crunchiness of the hardy vegetables.

As I was taking out my food processor, I eyed my seldom used Vita Mix Blender and decided to use it instead to prepare the vegetable salad.  It was convenient and easy.  I tried to keep the vegetables to be coarsely chopped by using the lowest Variable setting of 1.  

This is an ideal go to salad to bring to pot lucks since it goes well with burgers, ribs and meat sandwiches. Try it next time you have a picnic or family gathering. It is an alternative to mayonnaise based salads that are usually brought to these affairs.  

Vita Mix Coleslaw

Vegetable Salad

•                              
• 1/2 head of cabbage, cored and cut into quarters
• 2 cups baby carrots
• 8 radishes, cut in half if big sized
• 8 stalks green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup raisins

Dressing

• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar or Splenda
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp dry minced onions
• 2 tsp dry garlic flakes
• 1/2 tsp dry red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable Salad

Place the cabbage, carrots, radishes and green onions according to the sequence in the list in the Vita Mix blender and blend using the Variable 1 setting till vegetables are coarsely cut..  You can use your food processor too or other brand of blender.

Transfer the vegetables into a bowl and add the raisins.  A few hours before serving add the dressing.

Dressing

Place all the ingredients in a small jar with a lid and shake till thoroughly mixed with the lid on. Pour over the vegetable salad.

Peas and Bow Tie Pasta Salad with Baden Dressing

I love this simple salad with a delicious homemade dressing I named the Baden Dressing after Baden, PA where the Mother House of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph-Baden is located.  I frequent this Mother House to attend meetings since I am an associate of this congregation.  I love eating some of the prepared salads with their delicious dressing served at their cafeteria.  The proportion of the ingredients in one of the dressings they used was shared with me by Fred the head chef of the Mother House cafeteria.  It is 1 part apple cider vinegar (not white vinegar), 1 part oil and 1 part sugar.  I refer to this as the basic Baden dressing.

They had served Peas and Bow Tie Salad at one of the special occasions at Baden.  In the recipe they shared with me they used store bought Italian dressing. They also used fresh red onions and shredded cheddar cheese as part of the ingredients. I wanted a version of this salad where the ingredients for the dressing is from scratch and straight from my spice cabinet and uses the basic Baden dressing I mentioned previously. What I did was follow the 1:1 proportion of the apple cider to sugar and lowered that of the oil to 1/2 part and added the spices found in the store bought Italian dressing to this basic Baden dressing.

I really shouldn't be eating peas and peanuts since my arthritis sometimes flares up on the joints of my fingers when eating either of these foods but I couldn't stop eating a serving instead of just a tablespoon for tasting. It is that good.  And so simple. The saltiness of the peanuts complements the sweetness of the dressing and gives the salad a crunchy texture.  The cooked frozen sweet peas in the salad makes it irresistible. You can add cheese and red onions if you want and also increase the amount of oil but why would you?  This is good enough.  If you are in a hurry you can use store bought Italian Dressing but I tell you this dressing is worth preparing. Enjoy this salad in what seems to be the start of Spring unless this moody weather changes its course once again.

Peas and Bow Tie Pasta Salad with Baden Dressing

• 6 oz cooked bow tie pasta or farfalle 
• 6 oz cooked frozen sweet peas
• 1/4 cup peanuts or nuts of your choice
• dry parsley flakes or fresh parsley for garnish

Baden Dressing

• 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 4 tbsp sugar 
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tbsp dry onion flakes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the baden dressing in a small jar and shake with the cover on or just mix these ingredients with a fork in a small bowl.  Place the pasta, peas and peanuts in a bowl and pour the dressing over it and toss.  You can garnish with fresh or dried parsley if you like.

Deconstructed Brown Rice Edemame Sushi with Wasabi Hoisin Dressing

I wanted to make Vegan Onigiri which is a triangular shaped sushi but I could not make the brown rice stick together to form the triangle.  I still wanted the taste of sushi particularly the one I buy at the Giant Eagle Grocery Store that is covered with French Fried Onion from a can.  Yes the one you use for your favorite holiday Green Bean Casserole dish.

I decided to make a deconstructed one.  To recreate the sushi taste, I resorted to mixing the wasabi paste I bought in a tube at the Asian Store in Monroeville PA with the Hoisin Sauce.  I wanted a simple preparation that mimics the taste of the sushi without resorting to the use of a mayonnaise based sauce.  I follow the plant based approach in eating which as much as possible avoid even plant oils.

I gave exact measurements of the ratio of wasabi paste to the Hoisin Sauce since the first time I prepared it I did not measure anything and just squeeze an amount of this and that.  My nose really what would you say got overstimulated to put it mildly.  This is a simple rice bowl with a sushi flavor and very versatile.  You can add nuts and other vegetables but the recipe below gives you an idea how to come up with a sushi deconstructed for your convenience.  I highly recommend the edemame.  It gives the rice bowl texture and complements the spiciness of the dressing.  The French Fried Onion gives it an interesting note not found in most rice bowls.

Deconstructed Brown Rice Edemame Sushi with Wasabi Hoisin Dressing

1 serving

• 3/4 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/4 cup edemame
• 1/4 cup French Fried Onions (from a can)
• 1/4 cup tofu, cubed
• 1 tbsp dried cherries
• cilantro 
• Wasabi Hoisin Dressing (recipe below)

Place the rice in a bowl and top with the edemame, French Fried Onions, tofu and dried cherries.  Garnish with cilantro and serve with the wasabi and hoisin dressing.

Wasabi Hoisin Dressing (Note 1)

• 1/8 tsp wasabi paste
• 2 tsp hoisin sauce

Mix the wasabi paste and hoisin sauce in a small bowl and mix it with the rice bowl.

Notes:

1.  You can double or triple the amounts but do follow the proportions given or else your nostrils will cry and yes clear up.