Greens galore!

It is officially salad season- I’ve got more greens than I can fit in both crisper drawers! Our week’s bounty at Millsap’s brought home enough greens to last me a while.

So I thought it was a fitting time to show you all some of my favorite homemade salad dressings-I have 4 staple dressings that I rotate through.

***And there’s no ranch recipe here! I’m not sure what all the fuss is about ranch, because there are SO MANY other kinds of salad dressing. I mean, I’ll have ranch if its the only thing that appears edible- or if I plan to consume a whole pound of carrots. But I just don’t like to smother everything under the sun in Ranch dressing.

I know, I’m stepping on some toes here….

We don’t even keep it in the house- some of my friends (who ONLY use Ranch dressing) know that they better bring their own bottle- Randi even went as far as to leaving a bottle just for herself at my house.

We’re not stubborn….no….certainly not…

I will say this. If- and I mean a really big- IF I eat Ranch dressing, it has to be Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch. Besides, there are a few things that are just better straight out of a bottle. Like ketchup, and (good) Buttermilk Ranch dressing, and Starbucks Cinnamon Dulce syrup to name a few.

Is it ranch? or Ranch? I’m just not sure.

Okay, so back to simple dressings made from pantry items. I’ve got a couple here that I’ve shared with you before, and 2 new ones.

The old favorites are Asian Sesame (Applebees copycat) and Sweet French (Neighborhood Pizza copycat), with their respective links to the recipe. In the picture, sweet french is at the top and Asian sesame is on the left.

The new dressings are Jacque’s Honey Mustard (right) and poppyseed (bottom).

Why have so many dressings?

First of all, we eat a lot of salad around here. And I feel the need to “change it up” all the time. So here are my 4 go-to salads:

1. Club Salad: with Sweet French Dressing- I use any kind of greens (spring mix, arugula, spinach, romaine) whatever deli meat I have, cheddar cheese, hard boiled egg, and any veggies I need to use up. I like to make garlic croutons for this one!

2. Summer “fruit” salad: with Poppyseed Dressing- Again any kind of greens work, but I really like the spring mix/baby spinach for this one. I add strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, mandarin oranges and apples. Topped with grilled chicken and a handful of nuts. This one is a treat! Oh, you have to add some grilled bread on there too- and let it soak up all the extra dressing….Mmmm

3. Simple Spinach Salad: with Honey Mustard- I really love a spinach salad. This dressing has a more mild mustard flavor- its not bitter at all. Topped with bacon bits, hard boiled egg, even some crispy chicken. I can’t wait until summer for this dressing- I really want some cherry tomatoes doused in this dressing

4. Asian Sesame Salad: with a Honey Sesame Dressing. Sweet, tangy, crunchy. I actually have a picture of this one up in a link there somewhere.

Okay already, here’s the 2 new recipes:

Honey Mustard:

1 c. mayonnaise
3 T. yellow mustard
3 T. Honey
2 T. vegetable oil
2 tsp. dried basil (or 2 T. fresh)
2 tsp. cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika

I just whisk it all together and store in a jar for up to 2 weeks.

Poppy seed Dressing
1/3 c. white sugar
1/2 c. white vinegar
1 t. salt
1 t. yellow mustard (or 1 t. dry mustard)
1 t. grated onion (fresh or dry)
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 T. poppy seeds

Combine everything with a whisk and enjoy! This one is really versatile, I like a white creamy poppy seed dressing, but if you like it more runny, use less mayo and more oil- and vise verse if you like it thicker. This is really good on fresh peaches too!

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