Creamy Garlic Dressing and Roasted Garlic Croutons on Green Salad

Serve this creamy garlic dressing and roasted croutons over your favorite greens.

Ingredients
2 cups mesclun greens
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese (or vegan option_

Creamy Garlic Dressing:

1/2 cup prepared or homemade mayonnaise (Veganaise)
1/4 cup roasted garlic paste
3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese (or vegan option)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons heavy cream (or unsweetened soy milk)
1 teaspoon salt

Roasted Garlic Croutons:

3 tablespoons roasted garlic
1 slice of French bread, trimmed, (2 by 4 inches)
Olive oil
Salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the dressing ingredients together and blend until very smooth.

To make croutons, slice the bread on an angle so that two long triangles form. Place on a baking tray and season with olive oil and salt. Season both sides. Bake until golden brown. Remove from heat and cool. Mound the garlic paste on the entire crouton. Spread evenly. Assemble by tossing the greens with the dressing to create a light coating. Mound in the center of a plate. Place croutons on top of the greens. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or vegan alternative). Garnish as desired.

Emerald Green Salad Dressing

This is my all-time favorite dressing for salads and raw veggies!

   1 cup water

   1 cup cashews (rinsed)

   2 Tbsp (6 tsp) chives

   1 tsp garlic powder

   1 Tbsp (3 tsp) Italian seasoning

   1/2 Tbsp (1 1/2 tsp) parsley (dried) -OR- 1 tbsp (3 tsp) fresh (see Note)

   3/4 cup pineapple juice concentrate

   1 lemon, juiced

   stevia, to taste

1. Blend all ingredients together in blender until smooth and creamy. 

2. Adjust seasonings to taste.

NOTE: I usually substitute cilantro (coriander) for the parsley and add the 

entire bunch! I love cilantro and it makes such a beautiful green color and 

fresh flavor!

Holiday Green Salad with Raspberry Lemon Dressing

Holiday Green Salad with Raspberry Lemon Dressing

1 lb. red and green artisan lettuces, torn into 1" pieces
1 medium green apple, peeled and diced
1 avocado, diced into 1" cubes
1 Tbsp. dried cranberries
2/3 cup corn kernels, defrosted

Prepare ingredients and toss together in a serving bowl.

- - -

Raspberry Lemon Dressing

1 small package raspberries
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup raspberry apple juice, concentrated OR raspberry white grape juice concentrate
1 to 2 packets stevia
1/2 cup lemon juice, fresh
3 Tbsp. black cherry fruit spread, fruit juice sweetened
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard OR 1 Tbsp. mustard powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. poppy seeds

Place all ingredients except poppy seeds in a blender. Whiz until well blended. Pour into serving pitcher and stir in poppy seeds.

My Favorite Emerald Green Dressing

*This is my all-time favorite dressing for salads and raw veggies!  The recipe is really 'too modern' for my 8th grade home ec class, but the pea salad on lettuce leaves that we learned to make in that class does remind me of emeralds!


1 cup water
1 cup cashews (rinsed)**
2 Tbsp. chives
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. Italian dressing
1/2 Tbsp. parsley (dried) or doubled fresh
3/4 cup pineapple juice concentrate
1 lemon, juiced
stevia, fructose, or maple syrup to taste


Blend all ingredients together in blender until smooth and creamy. Adjust seasonings to taste.


*I usually substitute cilantro (fresh coriander) for the parsley and add the entire bunch! I love cilantro and it makes such a beautiful green color and fresh flavor!


**Brazil nuts work fine as a substitute for cashews in this recipe.

Tangy Olive Salad Dressing

Tangy Olive Dressing

1 cup ripe green olives, drained and packed

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup water

1 tsp salt

2 cloves fresh garlic

Liquefy all ingredients. Add herbs of your choice for taste. Ripe green olives are best.

Yield: 1 3/4 cup

No Free Fats Salad Dressing

For a long time I've been searching for a delicious combination of ingredients. My goal? A simple, delicious, and healthy recipe for salad dressing with no free fats. Free fats are fats that have been extracted from food like olive oil, corn oil, and Canola. They give a dressing creaminess and work to emulsify all the ingredients into smoothness. But, they are not as good for you as fats that are in whole food. Avocados and cashews work nicely in salad dressings in whole food form, but each has their drawbacks. Avocados loose their freshness quickly and are generally expensive and are not common in the kitchen on a daily basis. Cashews need to be ground in the blender for a long time in order to get the smoothness that's desired and a dressing with cashews needs to be stirred before use and can be generally inconvenient if stored. Recently I found a recipe that uses olives as the whole food source of fat in the salad dressing. I tried it, tweaked it, and have had good results. The basic recipe is posted below. It calls for ripe, green olives. They would be perfect in this recipe, but not all markets carry them (I have yet to try this option). Instead, I have used black olives and pimento stuffed green ones. Both times the dressing was delicious. The fresh lemon juice gives a wonderful 'tang' to the recipe and the olives give a creamy texture and rich flavor. The basic recipe is seasoned only with salt and fresh garlic. Other options work fine, though. I've tried Italian Seasoning as an addition as well as soy sauce, garlic and onion powders, and sweet basil. Each time the results were delicious! This dressing stores will in the fridge for later use. Place in a bottle or jar with a tight lid. Enjoy the results of this simply delicious and healthy dressing for a green salad!

The dressing in this photo was made with black olives. Ingredients for the salad are: romaine, baby spinach, fresh parsley, green onions, chopped broccoli, and carrot coins. Garnish with lemon wedge and mint leaves or green onion.

Rhapsody in Blue and a Pansy or Two

Here we go again --- another simple table setting ---
and a simple vegan menu.

Romaine, mixed garden greens, tomatoes, sweet onions, and sugar peas were the ingredients for a fresh salad garnished with pansy, daisy, and marigold blossoms.

We didn't eat the flowers, but they sure made the salad colorful and inviting! And, they are all eatable, so you could eat them if you want.

The salad dressing was a quick homemade vinaigrette made from olive oil, lemon juice, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, salt, stevia, and Italian Seasoning. Blend together until emulsified and then pour into a pretty little pitcher (I used a clear glass creamer).

The menu for this special birthday meal included:

Garden Salad and Dressing
Enchilada Casserole with Corn
Baked Potatoes with Earth Balance
Broccoli Spears
Grape Juice

Chocolate Cake

Today's china:

My mother's Noritake Milford with platinum rim

Vintage 1970's