Ranch Dressing

I have been wanted to figure out a ranch dressing for the longest time. Than my daughter (Hailey) recently mentioned that it is her favorite dressing. We haven't bought it for the longerst time because the commercial stuff has such JUNK in it, and I knew better. I used to buy it from the health food store but it so expensive and goes so fast...I stopped doing that in light of our new budget. So when I heard her mention that it was her favorite, I purposed to finally do it. We are all very pleased with the results! This recipe makes a pint.

1C Mayonnaise
1/2C Sour Cream
1/4C+2T Buttermilk
All seasonings are dried
1/4 tsp each:
Dill
Oregano
Chives
Sea Salt
Parsley
1/8 tsp each:
Cayenne Pepper
Paprika

~Mix wet ingredients together
~In a seperate cereal bowl, add all the seasonings together and mix well than add to the bowl of wet ingrediants and mix well.
~Put in fridge and let strengthen for 4-6 hours

*If you need to use right away or you like stronger flavor than make your measures "heaping"
**If you need a thicker dip than reduce buttermilk to 2T or try using buttermilk powder instead. *** If you are in a rush, you can just measure your seasonings right into your wet bowl, however, you may not get an even seasoning, you get stronger tastes of one herb than another in different bites, so premixing it will give you a more uniform (flawless) dressing. Enjoy!

For a large selection of delicious salad dressings, visit A Dressing a Day Challenge

Easy Honey Mustard Dressing

Here is a simple Honey Mustard Dressing that my family loves. Simply delicious.

1 1/2C mayonnaise

1/4C honey

1/4C prepared mustard of choice (brown or yellow or even fancy flavored)

1T white vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together well and store in the fridge. Keeps well.

(I like to put my dressings in a pint jar with a plastic ball jar lid.) This also makes a tasty sandwich spread. Or to use to dress a veggie salad (like a broccoli style salad or coleslaw or something of the like).

For a large selection of delicious salad dressings, visit A Dressing a Day Challenge

Asian Ginger Dressing

Asian Ginger Dressing
Once you start making your own salad dressings...you'll start to wonder why you ever bought the bottled ones! You can save your store bought jars or just use a pint size Mason jar. (Thats what I do.) Homemade dressings can also be made at a fraction of the cost with premium ingrediants and freshness; And the best part is that they tend to help you eat more glorious greens and raw veggies! This is one of my favorites and it always gets rave reviews.

This dressing has many flavors coming through it, with ginger only being one...you don't have to be a "ginger lover" to really appreciate this dressing. This is also tasty as a merinade for chicken, or used to dress cole slaw (instead of the typical white sauce).

3 cloves of Garlic, minced
2T minced fresh Gingerroot
1/2C Olive Oil
1/4C Dark Sesame Oil*
1/3C Rice Vinegar
1/4C Soy Sauce***
3T raw Honey**
1/4C Water

Put all ingrediants in a pint jar and mix.

Shake before serving. Makes 20 servings - store in fridge.

*There are two kinds of sesame oil, dark and light. The dark is a very dark brown in color and this is used to flavor dishes. It is rich and delicious. Light sesame oil is a shade similar to other typical cooking oils and has a slight sesame flavor, but used more as a cooking oil (much like olive oil or grapeseed, etc) because the flavor is very subtle. There is a big difference in how it affects your recipe's flavor.

**If your honey is cold and thick, just add hot water in the recipe to disolve than mix. Let it cool.

***I use Bragg's Liquid Aminos

For a large selection of delicious salad dressings, visit A Dressing a Day Challenge

Casa Dressing

Casa means "house" in Spanish. This is a family (and friend) favorite salad dressing, that I have been making for years. It is a creamy dressing with a Mexican Flare. I love to serve it with salad when making mexican or southwestern dishes. Or if you use it for a "main meal salad" it is super yummy with a "taco salad"! It also makes a nice alternative sour cream for a taco topping. This recipe makes one cup, which serves about 8. However, I usually double it and it fills a pint jar to the rim.

2/3C Mayonaise
1/3C Milk
1T Lime Juice
1T Cumin
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1T Fresh Cilantro,chopped or 1tsp dried

I either put it in a jar and shake it really good or whcik it in a bowl. If you use fresh cilantro, you might want to add that to the dressing at the time of serving, but when I use dried, I mix prefer to put that in ahead and let it sit. The flavor of the cilantro come forth best in each case in those ways. Enjoy!

For a large selection of delicious salad dressings, visit A Dressing a Day Challenge

This post was shared on the Homestead Revival's Salad Dressing Exchange

Marinated Kale

Here you go Carmen, as per your request:

This is a dish a dear friend (DJ) brought over one day. I just loved it (as I do most of her creations!), so she shared the recipe with me..and now I share it with you.

Kale is one of the last greens I usually go for...but this recipe has opened new doors for kale at my table! This is an "intuitive" recipe subject to your tastes...so experiment with it a little.

• Get a bunch of kale and chop it into really small bits. Message it with a some sea salt.




• In a seperate dish (I like to use a liquid measuring cup or pint jar) you are going to "eyeball" how much dressing to use for your batch of kale. Start by putting equal parts balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar in the jar.




• Than add a hefty glop of minced garlic, fresh or dried basil and onion powder or dried onions. (I have used minced fresh green onion, or red onion too. Just add them after the next step if you do.) Whisk together.




• Slowly drizzle some Olive Oil into the vinegar mix, whisking all the while, to thicken and incorporate and mellow the vinegars.




• Give a taste test with a kale leaf; adjust flavors if needed.




• Pour over kale and toss.
  

Put it in the fridge and let it marinate for 8-24 hours (which makes it great salad for Shabbat). The kale softens a little as it marinates. This is delicious by itself.

Variations:

My friend's favorite combination (which agree is quite tasty!) is adding Chopped Sun Dried Tomatoes, Chopped Green Olives, Chopped Avocado and Chopped fresh tomato to it and toss.

I also discovered that it is quite good mixed with Israeli Couscous, cashews, peas and raisins! (this would also me true for Millet, Orzo or Quinoa)

Let me know if you try it or make a new variation!

Enjoy!

This Post is linked with Tuesday Twister.

Momma's Mint Melon Salad

This is a delightfully refreshing salad that came up with and it ended up being a hit. Hope your family thinks so too!

Equal amounts - cut in similar size chunks:

Watermelon
Honeydew
Cucumbers (peeled)
Peppermint (chopped very small)

1. Start with the watermelon - remove from the rind and cut out the amount you would like to use for your salad and chop into bite sized chunks and put in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Next cut the honeydew out of the rind and cut into similar size chunks and put in a different bowl.
3. Peel and cut the cucumber in similar size chunks and add to honeydew.
4. By now your watermelon will have left a nice puddle of sweet juice in the bottom it's bowl. Gentle scoop the watermelon out and add it to the honeydew bowl, leaving the juice behind. Pick out any seeds and toss in your mint and let it flavor the juice (and reconstitute if its dried). Use as much as you like "to taste" depending on how much mint flavor you want and how big your salad is. I used dried mint which is what I had on hand but I would have used fresh first, if I had it. (You need less dried herb than you do fresh.) Let this sit for a few minutes (say about 15 or so) while you are getting other things ready, than go back and drizzle your "mint dressing" all over your melon and serve. I left my mint leaves in there..it is pretty and add to the flavor...but it you would rather not - you could alway strain it before topping your melon.

Let me know what you think if you try it!

*If you don't normally have mint on hand...you can use a mint tea bag...just cut it open and sprinkle the contents in!

**I always like to serve my melon chilled, so I try to remember to put them in the fridge for a few hours before I plan to cut them...it makes them especially refreshing. The honey dew can be cut ahead...but your cukes and watermelon are best cut at the time the salad is made since the get so juicy after being cut.

Technicolor Carrot Salad

Do not let the simplicity of this recipe fool you- it is outrageously good!
This is a modification of another recipe. My whole family cobbled it up! I'm calling it Technicolor Carrot Salad, because it is super fresh (and "bright" tasting)...try it and you'll see what I mean.

1 lb bag of Baby Carrots
1 Lemon
1 Lime
Pure Maple Syrup

1. Shred carrots finely, put in bowl. (I use the food processor)



2. Squeeze the juice out of both the lemon and the lime all over the carrots and mix well. (Do not be tempted to use bottled lemon/lime juice for this - it won't be the same!)



3. Grate the peel of the lemon right into the bowl. (When zesting lemon rind, be sure not to grate into the white part - the pith - that is the bitter part.) Mix well.



4. Pour a thin drizzle all over the carrots. Mix well and taste. If more is needed, repeat.

Serves 6 -10 as a side

Enjoy!

Sesame Zucchini Salad

Here is a tasty raw recipe I developed. This summer when you have zucchini overflowing from your garden consider this DELICIOUS salad. We eat a big bowl of it for lunch. But it would make a nice dish on the side. It is also great for "taking to oneg"(potlucks) and picnics and make ahead for Shabbat.* Its good fridge cold or room temp. This sauce is also scrumptious with stir fry, rice or noodles, fish, chicken or as a salad dressing. (In other words, you might want to record it in your family cookbook under "sauces" because it is very versatile!)

Figure about 1 zucchini per person for a lunch bowl size portion. This recipe served 7 of us for lunch (5 small kids), but I would say it would serve 4-5 hungry adults/teens as a lunch main course. (10 as a side)

One last note...Raw Foodies love this little gadget called a Saladacco. There are similar machines out there too. I have a Paderno which I prefer; it makes food prep really fun, pretty and easy. It makes a wonderful presentation and makes raw food nicer to eat because it is in smaller bites. (easier to chew) It is also fun for making other whole food goodies like your own baked veggie chips or fries. And good for slicing things for the dehydrator. I wish I would have taken pictures of yesterday's lunch...but I didn't think of it until everyone had dug in. :-) You don't have to have this gadget for the recipe, a good knife, a madoline, or even a food processor would work, in different shapes. My Padero spiralled these zucchini into long strands of spaghetti. But slicing them into thin julian strips with a knife would be quite nice too!

8 Zucchini (or yellow summer squash), Sliced thin Julian Style or use Padero for "noodle" cut.
handful of baby carrots chopped/grated fine

The Sauce:
1/4 Soy Sauce ( I use Braggs Liquid Aminos)
1/4C Maple Syrup
3T (dark) Sesame Oil
2T Dried Chives
1 1/2 T Sesame Seeds
1 tsp Onion Powder
1-2 tsp fresh grated ginger (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste (I am hooked on Herbamare and Veggie Pepper)

1. Wash, dry and cut Squash; put in a large bowl.
2. Chop/grate carrots.
3. Put sauce ingredients in a pint jar with a lid and give it a good shake. Pour over raw squash, toss to coat thoroughly and top with grated carrots.

Enjoy!

* If you make this salad ahead, store sauce in a jar and toss on Zucchini when you are ready to serve. Make sure your zucchini is stored in a good airtight container, and keep it cold if you slice it ahead.

p.s. (I love tools by the way!!) I used to have one of those Pampered Chef machines that spiral or slice your apples/potatoes and peel them. It is metal and you clamp it to the counter's edge. This machine is SO much nicer than that one. I cut myself and made such a mess with the Pampered Chef one. It was heavy and awkward to store, unstable to use, and hard to find a spot to hook it too. It also didn't often line it up right and twirled crocked. I much prefer my Padero and it has 2 other blades too, even though it does not peel them.

Enjoy Eating More Fresh Food!

Raw Itch

I'm not talking about the itch you get when you brush against some poison ivy you didn't see on that hike you took yesterday. Nor am I talking about sitting in the grass and those little natty bugs that always tend to find your legs....no no...I'm talking about the itch to get back to eating raw food. It happens to me every spring. I found that I tend to eat "seasonally". It makes sense to me, it seems to be in sync with Yah's Creation too, as things are naturally coming into their growing season. It isn't absolute, but there is definitely a pattern I have noticed in my eating/buying patterns. So, I've just learned to "run with it". :-)

So today as I was placing my bulk organic produce order, I starting thinking more raw. afterword. I went to the books shelves to pull out all my vegetarian and raw cookbooks. Then I went to my "favorites" under "raw" and started to revisit my links that I saved last spring.
I thought I would share them with you folks. I can share other recipes we like too if you are interested. (leave comments)

This year, I am going to get really familiar with raw crackers. I have seen lots of recipes for them, but have not experimented with them much. You use a dehydrator to make them. So you can expect to see some of those recipes appearing if I find some I like...along with other raw goodies. :-)

Here are some raw links i had...

http://goneraw.com/recipes
http://www.fromsadtoraw.com/RawRecipes.htm
http://www.healthfree.com/raw_food_recipes.html
http://www.rawglow.com/recipes.htm
http://www.rawsacramento.net/recipes.htm#not%20organized%20yet
http://www.learnrawfood.com/mybook.htm
http://www.living-foods.com/recipes/
http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/2006/05/gabes_goodies_m.html

I have a few pet peeves with Raw Foodies. One of them, are the names they use sometimes. I hate when they call it something its not like, "breaded chicken fingers" when their is no bread or chicken in the recipe! Just call it what it is folks! :-) Another is when they insist on using "exotic" ingredients that you can only find if you live in San Fransico or NYC! Another is that they often give recipes that serve one or two people. As if the only people interested in raw food are senior citizens or urban artsy types who don't have families to feed. Wow...that sounded a little disgruntled, didn't it?! Maybe I need have a little more "quiet time today" :-) Or maybe I need to write a large family raw cookbook. :-)

Enjoy,

The Delightful Flavor of Fresh Ginger

Here are few delicious recipes to get you started using fresh ginger or add to your list of favorites. You can find it in the produce section of most grocery stores. It is a tan colored root. You can just break off a small piece of it, than peel the paper like skin off with a veggie peeler (like you would a potato or carrot) than grate it with a hand grater or a food chopper or a sharp knife. (I like to use a micro plane) Fresh Ginger is a lively addition to so many dishes and is so good for you! It also comes pre-minced in a tube which is very handy and keeps longer, so you can have it on hand. Fresh ginger tastes different than dried. It is sweeter and lighter, where as the dried is stronger and spicer.

Ginger Carrot Salad
This was a yummy salad that I whipped up when my husband's family was visiting. We had been hiking the property and enjoying the spring weather when I realized I had not given lunch a thought and I had 12 people who's hunger was quickly mounting. The measurments here are a guess, because I just tossed it together and gave it the "finger test". I suggest you do the same. :-) (I am cutting it in half for the blog, so I am going to say it will feed 6 people as a side dish.) We served this beside and inside turkey wraps (with sweet pea sprouts). It was quite good!

1lb bag Carrots, shredded (I used baby carrots)
1-2 Apples, chopped (I used pink lady, but gala, braeburn or fuji would be very similar.) No need to peel.
a hand full of Raisins
2-3 tsp fresh Ginger
about 2-3T Mayonaise
juice of 1 Lime
1-2 T raw Honey

Mix it all together and serve immediatly.

(This gets soupy as it sits so it is best assembled and eaten immediatly for maximum freshness. If you want to make it ahead, shred your carrots, chop apples and squeeze the lime over them and toss to keep the apple from oxydizing; than add the raisins. Mix the sauce seperatly and store it in a jar. Toss together right before serving.)
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Asian Ginger Dressing
Once you start making your own salad dressings...you'll start to wonder why you ever bought the bottled ones! You can save your store bought jars or just use a pint size Mason jar. (Thats what I do.) Home made dressings can also be made at a fraction of the cost with premium ingrediants and freshness; And the best part is that they tend to help you eat more glorious greens and raw vegies! This is one of my favorites and it always gets rave reviews.

This dressing has many flavors coming through it, with ginger only being one...you don't have to be a "ginger lover" to really appreciate this dressing. This is also tasty as a merinade for chicken, or used to dress cole slaw (instead of the typical white sauce).

3 cloves of Garlic, minced
2T minced fresh Gingerroot
1/2C Olive Oil
1/4C Dark Sesame Oil*
1/3C Rice Vinegar
1/4C Soy Sauce
3T raw Honey**
1/4C Water

Put all ingrediants in a pint jar and mix.

Shake before serving. Makes 20 servings - store in fridge.

*There are two kinds of sesame oil, dark and light. The dark is a very dark brown in color and this is used to flavor dishes. It is rich and delicious. Light sesame oil is a shade similar to other typical cooking oils and has a slight sesame flavor, but used more as a cooking oil (much like olive oil or grapeseed, etc) because the flavor is very subtle. There is a big difference in how it affects your recipe's flavor.
**If your honey is cold and thick, just add hot water in the recipe to disolve than mix. Let it cool.
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Maple Salmon with Pinapple Sauce
This is a recipe I got from Beth Holland (Bread for Life, cookbook series). My husband doesn't care for salmon, but he actually raves about this dish and asks for seconds. He said it beats any resturaunt he has ever tried.

(serves 4)

1 Salmon Side

Marinade:
1T Maple Syrup
1T Garlic Teriyaki Sauce (or regular teriyaki with 1 tsp fresh minced garlic)
1T Pineapple Juice
1tsp Fresh Ginger

Sauce:
1C Pinapple Chuncks
1tsp Honey
1/2-1tsp salt

• Mix marinade.



• Put Salmon in zip lock or dish and pour in marinade. Let sit in fridge for 1 to 24 hours.



• Prepare sauce by cooking all ingrediants in a small sauce pan on low for about 5 minutes. Serve cool or warm in a seperate ramican (side dish).



• Bake, broil or grill salmon about 3-4 minutes on each side.

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Miscellanious Ginger Tip: Use crystalized ginger to sweeten your brewed tea. It is soothing to the digestive tract and very pleasing to the pallet!