post your favorite homemade salad dressings.

[Harry Cantrell]

I am in a salad rut. Any fresh ideas for dressings?

[Jeff Grossman/NYC]

I'm on a kick for Green Goddess: 2/3 cup mayo, 1 tbsp vinegar, and a heaping tbsp of Penzey's Green Goddess blend revived in a spoon or two of water.

The blend says it contains: green onion flakes, sugar, sweet basil, celery flakes, minced garlic, and dill weed.

Basically, you get a really herby, but mild, Creamy Italian.

[Robin Garr]

Mild local goat cheese (in our case, Indiana Capriole) turned into a creamy dressing with nothing more than S&P and the liquid from sliced cucumbers in a simple leaf-lettuce salad.

[Jo Ann Henderson]

I love a dressing I discovered from Lynn Rossetto Kasper a few years back in her book The Splendid Table's How To Eat Supper. She makes a standarad vinegarette (1/3 red wine vinegar, 2/3 olive oil, salt, pepper, and a splash of fish sauce) from which she produces 10 dressing variations. My favorite is a roasted almond and red pepper dressing. 1/2 C basic vinegarette, 1 small clove garlic, 1 Tbsp chopped onion, 1/2 C whole salted almonds (I used the smoked ones), 1/2 C roasted red pepper (commercial is fine), squeeze lemon juice, 2 Tbsp yogurt (I often substitute mayonnaise). Blend until creamy. Yum!

[Jeff Grossman/NYC]

I love a dressing I discovered from Lynn Rossetto Kasper a few years back in her book The Splendid Table's How To Eat Supper. She makes a standarad vinegarette (1/3 red wine vinegar, 2/3 olive oil, salt, pepper, and a splash of fish sauce) from which she produces 10 dressing variations. My favorite is a roasted almond and red pepper dressing. 1/2 C basic vinegarette, 1 small clove garlic, 1 Tbsp chopped onion, 1/2 C whole salted almonds (I used the smoked ones), 1/2 C roasted red pepper (commercial is fine), squeeze lemon juice, 2 Tbsp yogurt (I often substitute mayonnaise). Blend until creamy. Yum!

Sounds good. One question: almonds left whole or chopped or crushed?

[Carl Eppig]

Most of the of favorites were on a file that accidentally deleted. Here is our version of "Orange Glob." For those who can't stand it, simply move on.

CARL’S CATALINA DRESSING:

3/4 C (6 oz) Delmonte Ketchup
5/8 C (5 oz) Olive oil
5/8 C (5 oz) Red wine vinegar
2 tbl Sugar
1 tsp Lawry’s seasoned salt
1 tsp Ground mustard
1 tsp Granulated onion (onion powder)
½ tsp Granulated garlic (garlic powder)

Mix dry ingredients with vinegar. Add oil and ketchup, and shake or beat all together. Store in refrigerator almost indefinitely.

[Jo Ann Henderson]

Sounds good. One question: almonds left whole or chopped or crushed?

Since I throw everything into the blender, I leave the almonds whole. Sometimes I leave the dressing a little grainy on purpose. Other times I blend it into a smoothe paste. Just depends on what's in the salad.

[Jeff Grossman/NYC]

Thanks, Jo Ann. I would mix by hand so I'd have to chop the nuts first.

[Rahsaan]

A lot of very flavorful ideas here.

I usually just play around by alternating two different mustard types and three to four different vinegars that I keep on hand, plus lemons/limes. Beyond that, the wildest I get is grating ginger into the dressing. Which is also very delicious and can take a drop of soy sauce as well.

[Shaji M]

1/2 cup EV olive oil
2 tsp mustard powder/ 1 tbsp of prepared mustard
torn up fresh basil or dill or thyme
1/3 cuplemon or lime juice
2 tbsp braggs liquid aminos/ soy sauce
pepper to taste
1 avocado (peeled and pitted obviously)
Blend until creamy

[Harry Cantrell]

Thanks so far. Most are creamy in style. Any less calorie laden?

[Robin Garr]

Thanks so far. Most are creamy in style. Any less calorie laden?

When fresh summer garden tomatoes get here, you can make a splendid dressing by cutting up one or two and supplementing their delicious juices with just a hit of quality olive oil and a little lemon juice plus S&P.

[Jeff Grossman/NYC]

Thanks so far. Most are creamy in style. Any less calorie laden?

Use fat-free (or reduced-fat) yogurt instead of mayo.

[Jo Ann Henderson]

Though my dressing is creamy, the only thing that carries any significant calories is the olive oil and the nuts @~150 calories per serving. I use mayo rather than yogurt by choice. Rethink how you view the foods.

[Jenise]

Harry, we eat more salad than anyone I know (at least one per day) and we don't like creamy dressings, so I'm always looking for ways to vary what I do. Must say, I'm also very particular about which dressings go on which lettuces. Olive oil turns super bitter when used on iceberg lettuce, for intance (a green I know many despise, but not me!).

Two ways to achieve variety are to buy roasted nut oils, and to use fresh citrus as your tart component. Roasted hazelnut and walnut oils are especially good with nothing more than lemon juice and salt--I use that combination with raw sliced almonds and green onions on green leaf lettuce, or crumbled blue cheese on green leaf lettuce. Green leaf is probably the most average lettuce around: definitively flavored but mild, takes well to almost any dressing.

Also, consider using fresh herbs. Chervil and basil are two that can add a haunting character. And both soy sauce and worcestershire can add body and depth to dressings that are going to go on stronger lettuces like romaine and spinach.

[ScottD]

I've been eating salad as my evening meal for the past several months. Ingredients vary wildly and widely with some combination from the various "dressing groups": citrus juice, rice vinegar, red wine vinegar. Olive oil, lemon olive oil, sesame oil, sesame chile oil. Soy, Worchestershire, Sriracha, honey, fish sauce, Cholula, Tabasco, Tabanero, sambal oelek. Crushed red peppers. Herbes d'Provence. Garam masala. Loads of fresh ground black pepper (a la Monet if any have perused Monet's Table cookbook). And I've taken to building my dressing right on the salad rather than mixing it separately for no good reason... although I will combine honey when using it with whatever acid I'm using for better distribution.

[Jenise]

I've been eating salad as my evening meal for the past several months. Ingredients vary wildly and widely with some combination from the various "dressing groups": citrus juice, rice vinegar, red wine vinegar. Olive oil, lemon olive oil, sesame oil, sesame chile oil. Soy, Worchestershire, Sriracha, honey, fish sauce, Cholula, Tabasco, Tabanero, sambal oelek. Crushed red peppers. Herbes d'Provence. Garam masala. Loads of fresh ground black pepper (a la Monet if any have perused Monet's Table cookbook). And I've taken to building my dressing right on the salad rather than mixing it separately for no good reason... although I will combine honey when using it with whatever acid I'm using for better distribution.

All great suggestions. The best place to make a dressing is in the bottom of the bowl you'll be adding the greens to. I make our salads this way each day vs. making up a batch, with the exception of the garlic-tomato-mustard Dorothy Lynch dressing discussed in a thread of few weeks ago.

Note to Frank: Lan Chi is a great asian seasoning for a vinaigrette destinted for soft greens and enoki mushrooms.