WASHINGTON 鈥� May is National Salad Month, a time when American families gather to set aside their differences, exchange presents and honor the humble, noble salad.
And rightfully so. It’s healthy, delicious and 鈥�
… OK OK all right. So it鈥檚 not that delicious. It鈥檚 not what most of us crave when we sit down to chow down.
(Shoutout to refined carbs.)
The heart wants what the heart wants, yes. But ask yourself: If a salad isn鈥檛 appetizing, is it really your problem? It鈥檚 probably the salad鈥檚 fault.
Is it wearing a top-shelf (homemade) dressing? Is it sporting fresh, in-season ingredients? Is that salad bringing its A-game?
In this, the 25th-annual National Salad Month, it is your duty as a proud American to do your part, to ensure that a salad brings more than boring nutritious whatever. It鈥檚 about bringing the flavor, and a quality salad dressing has plenty of it.
Here are some uncommon dressing recipes to try out as temperatures rise.
But first: A gallery of in-season vegetables to grab when you鈥檙e out shopping.
Choice salad dressing recipes
The Vinaigrette: Basic and beyond.
The foundation of a good dressing is a quality oil and quality acid (i.e., vinegar, lemon juice). Added seasonings elevate it from good to great.
Food.com offers 聽to building that foundation, as well as seven ways to build upon it.
The 8th vinaigrette: Sesame, rice and The Truth
Vinaigrette is wonderful because despite its simplicity, it has endless variations. For instance, try this sesame vinaigrette, a terrific option that might be the only dressing you鈥檒l ever want: It can be savory, tangy, salty and even spicy, depending on how you adjust the ratios.
- 聽~1 part sesame oil (preferably toasted)
- 聽~1 part rice vinegar
- 聽~1 part Bragg Liquid Aminos (preferred) or soy sauce
- 聽Liberal amounts of ground black pepper (red pepper flakes work, too)
Shake it up in a jar for a few seconds and go to town.
Coconut milk ranch dressing
Just because some people can鈥檛 eat dairy doesn鈥檛 mean they don鈥檛 enjoy dairy. It鈥檚 not easy to give up something as delicious as ranch dressing; it鈥檚 divine on greens, raw veggies and buffalo wings.
Check out this that uses coconut milk. Assembling this recipe is a little more involved than a simple vinaigrette, but it鈥檚 worth it.
(Vegan option: Substitute Vegenaise for the mayo.)
Ginger-miso tofu dressing
Indeed, creamy doesn鈥檛 have to mean whole milk. With this , Silken tofu adds a — well, silky texture. White miso鈥檚 savory, sweet complexity forms the base of the flavor profile 鈥� and we promise that鈥檚 the last time we use the phrase 鈥渇lavor profile鈥� in this article.
One could try to substitute a red miso or brown rice miso, but this hasn鈥檛 been attempted to the best of our knowledge and could result in tragedy. Experiment at your own risk.
Cashew dressing
Thai peanut dressing is awesome. Cashews are awesome. Why not mix up some synergy?
Minimalist Baker鈥檚 instructions for a Thai kale salad includes a nice recipe for 聽that uses some maple syrup to accentuate the cashew鈥檚 natural sweetness.
If that sounds much too sweet to you (as we鈥檙e not talking about topping a dessert here), add some edge with chili garlic sauce or red pepper flakes.
Warm bacon dressing
Pour out some bacon grease for the late 鈥淢r. Food.鈥�
Instead of olive oil, TV鈥檚 Art Ginsburg went the full 鈥淥ooh it鈥檚 so good鈥� here with 聽that requires a pound of bacon.
(Hey, at least it鈥檚 dairy-free.)
This stuff allegedly goes 鈥渙ver almost any vegetables,鈥� but it sounds particularly promising over potatoes.
Tangy tomato dressing
To paraphrase the late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, I can鈥檛 really define 鈥渮esty,鈥� but I know it when I taste it. This 聽is rich in 鈥淰itamin Z,鈥� and it works well with pasta as well as greens.
It鈥檚 also light and relatively easy to put together. Seasoning is as simple as adding an envelope of Italian dressing mix.
Two-minute creamy dressing
Dressings that taste delicious are good; delicious dressings that don鈥檛 require much prep are better.
This 聽gets a fair amount of mileage from mustard and champagne vinegar.
