Dressings
Dressing For Summer
Dressing salads for summer is not to be taken lightly. While appetites decrease as the temperature rises, the need for nutritious fare is nonetheless important. A good deal of the “right stuff” may be incorporated into side salads or more complex main-course composed salads, but it takes an enticing dressing to stimulate the jaded palate.
The rules are simple for preparing a lower-cal (not low-cal) dressing that is good and good for you. First, leave the mayonnaise in the refrigerator and cut back on both the oil in the dressing and the dressing on each portion. (Salad dressing should coat the ingredients, never drown them.)
Second, seek out vegetables and fruits at the height of ripeness and employ intensely flavored herbs, spices and condiments such as sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies and olives. For variety, substitute citrus or fruit juice for vinegar and occasionally add a sprinkle of sugar. The first two recipes that follow are for lettuce and vegetable salads.
The third is a topping for grilled chicken or fish. To keep the salad motif, the chicken or fish may be served on a bed of greens.
Summer Salad With Fresh Citrus Vinaigrette
Yield: 4 servings
For the vinaigrette:
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons minced ginger root
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the salad:
1 pound fresh asparagus
1 bulb fennel
1 orange
1 cup medjool dates
1 bunch red leaf lettuce, washed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1. Combine citrus juices with minced ginger. Pour into a jar, cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Strain out ginger and whisk in honey, mustard, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Set dressing aside.
2. Cook asparagus in boiling salted water until tender. Pat dry and chill. Cut fennel into paper-thin slices. Peel the orange and separate into segments. Cut the dates into thin strips.
3. Dress vegetables and orange segments in half the vinaigrette. Separately, toss lettuce with remaining vinaigrette. Divide lettuce among four plates. Arrange vegetables, oranges and date strips over the lettuce and serve.
Note: Broiled chicken breast strips, julienned jicama, thinly sliced red onion, mesclun greens make great alternate ingredients.
Onion-Feta Sauce For Iceberg Lettuce
Makes about 1/2 cup
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped giardiniera (marinated hot pepper mix) or more to taste
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika, hot Hungarian preferred
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons plain yogurt, sheeps’ milk preferred
1 head chilled iceberg lettuce
1/4 cup diced feta cheese, for garnish
1. In a small bowl, combine the onion, garlic, hot pepper mix, vinegar, salt, pepper and paprika. Add the mayonnaise and yogurt and stir well. Set aside until ready to serve.
2. Remove any tired outside leaves and the core from the lettuce. Cut into four wedges.
3. Place a wedge on four chilled plates. Top each wedge with 2 tablespoons sauce and scatter diced feta on each plate. Serve at once.
Makes about 1/3 cup
5 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 tablespoon minced sun-dried tomato in oil, drained
1 1/2 teaspoons sun-dried tomato oil
3 tablespoons creme fraiche or light sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Heat an oven to 400 degrees. Wrap garlic in foil and bake until soft, about 15 minutes. Squeeze pulp from each clove into a small bowl or mortar.
2. Add minced tomato and oil. Mash to combine ingredients.
3. Beat in creme fraiche, lemon juice and pepper.
4. Dollop 1 to 2 tablespoons onto hot broiled or grilled fish or chicken.
Lime And Ginger
This tangy, refreshing lime and ginger dressing is truly all-purpose. Equally good on tossed green and fruit salads, it also is a wonderful marinade or sauce for fish, poultry and meat. When I served it over a cold pasta and shrimp salad garnished with orange sections, my guests loved it and asked for the recipe.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Yield: About 1/2 cup
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grated, peeled fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1. Combine vinegar and salt in small bowl; stir until salt has completely dissolved. Add honey and mix well.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.
Nutrition information per 2-tablespoon serving: 20 calories; no cholesterol; no fat; 150 mg sodium.