Toasted Sesame Ginger Dressing

We recently went to a new restaurant and I ordered the Asian Salad. It was wonderful! It was a bed of spinach with flank steak, green onions, avocado and peas with an amazing sesame ginger dressing. I craved this dressing for days. I knew I had to find a recipe so I could recreate this dish at home. I did! I have made this several times since then and still love it. It is a nice light dressing, but full of flavor. It works wonderfully as a fast salad on a weeknight. Enjoy!!

Toasted Sesame Ginger Dressing
Printer friendly recipe
Source: Group Recipes

Ingredients:

1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup palm sugar or light brown sugar, or honey
1 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove of garlic
2 teaspoons Asian chili-garlic paste (I used a splash of my favorite hot sauce.
1 -2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup peanut oil or a more neutral oil,
such as safflower or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients together with the exception of the 1/2 cup of oil stir the ingredients with a whisk, and slowly add the oil. This is a very thin dressing, and will separate. Simply shake it before use.

Steak and Arugula Salad

Michael and I have started a new fitness plan. We are both doing P90X! This is a fitness program in which we work out 6 days a week. It also comes with a fitness guide which we have been trying to follow. The first month you are very limited on carbs, which is the hardest part!! I am going to be posting some of the recipes they use in the fitness guide. For lunch one day last week we had a Steak and Arugula Salad. I thought this was a really great salad. Michael grilled the sirloin to perfection which made the salad even better. Enjoy!

Steak and Arugula Salad
Source: P90X Nutrition Guide

Ingredients:

6 ounces top sirloin
2 cups arugula
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup canned artichoke hears
2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette (see below)

Directions:

Grill or broil steak until done, approximately 7 to 10 minutes per side. Cool and cut into 1 inch slices.

Toss together the arugula, tomatoes and artichoke hearts and arrange on plate. Top with steak and drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette.

Balsamic Vinaigrette
Serves 16

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons shallots, choppes
4 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
black pepper to taste

Directions:

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Store covered in the refrigerator.

398 calories
11 g total fat
38 g protein
20 g carbohydrates
293 mg sodium

Poppy Seed Dressing

I may be rushing this spring thing with this salad, but it is totally worth it! I went out to eat a few days ago and ordered a salad with Poppy Seed Dressing. I have been craving it again ever since.

This dressing is very easy to mix up and has a wonderful flavor. I made a salad with spinach, chicken, strawberries, pineapple and feta cheese. This dressing set off the sweet flavors nicely. You can change this salad to add additional fruit that you may enjoy. Blueberries and mandarin oranges would work wonderfully. Enjoy!!

Poppy Seed Dressing
Printer friendly recipe
Source: Epicurious

Ingredients:

1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup wine vinegar
2 teaspoons onion juice
1 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seed

Directions:

Dissolve the sugar, salt and mustard in the vinegar. Add the onion juice and oil. Beat until the dressing is well blended. Stir in the poppy seed and shake well.

Note: The recipe directions day add mustard but it is not listed in the ingredients of the recipe. As I was blending the mixture, I added just a very small amount of dried mustard. This will be more about taste as far as sweetness for you as well. I added a little more sugar than the recipe called for.

Baby Spinach Salad with Roasted Strawberries

Strawberries were on sale this week at the grocery store so I couldn't resist. We have been eating them as strawberry shortcakes, but I wanted a more savory recipe to let the strawberries shine. I was a little thrown off and unsure of roasting the strawberries. I knew that roasting vegetables make the flavor stronger. I wasn't sure how fruit would react to roasting. The strawberries are tossed with a little olive oil and sugar and roasted until soft. They are so good this way. The vinaigrette goes so well with the roasted strawberries. It is a little sweet but just enough to accentuate the strawberries. The almonds gave the salad a crunch to offset the softness of the strawberries. I loved this salad and can not wait to make it again. You must try this salad immediately!!

Baby Spinach Salad with Roasted Strawberries

Printer friendly recipe

Source: Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

2 pints large strawberries (1 lb. total)
8 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt, plus more, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
4 tsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon
1 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted
9 cups baby spinach
5 oz. pecorino romano cheese, shredded

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Using a paring knife, hull the strawberries and cut them in half lengthwise. Spread the berries on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 Tbs. of the olive oil and sprinkle with the 2 tsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. of the salt and several grinds of pepper. Toss to coat the berries evenly, then spread them out again. Roast until softened, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

In a small nonreactive bowl, whisk together the vinegar, orange juice, tarragon, the 1 Tbs. sugar, 3/4 tsp. of the salt and several grinds of pepper until the sugar dissolves. Slowly whisk in the remaining 6 Tbs. olive oil until well blended to make a vinaigrette. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

In a small bowl, stir together the almonds and 1/4 tsp. of the salt. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and several grinds of pepper. Whisk the vinaigrette to recombine, drizzle about one-third of it over the spinach and toss well (reserve the remaining vinaigrette for another use). Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Divide the dressed spinach evenly among individual plates, top each serving with an equal amount of the roasted strawberries, and sprinkle with the almonds and cheese. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Wilted Lettuce Salad

I get the Penzeys magazine and love flipping through it to see what recipes it holds. I have become more and more of a Penzeys fan and love trying new spices. The last time I was there, I picked up the Italian Salad Dressing Base. The next month the magazine had this recipe in it so I couldn't wait to give it a try. The dressing is warm when added to the salad so it wilts the lettuce. How can you turn down dressing with bacon fat in it? It is a very simple and fast recipe to put together. Enjoy!

Wilted Lettuce Salad

Printer friendly recipe

Source: Penzeys

2 heads of leaf lettuce or 1 head romaine, torn into bite-sized pieces
4 green onions, chopped
3 Radishes, sliced
½ lb. bacon
¼ cup vinegar
1 TB. Italian Salad Dressing Base (I used the Penzeys Spice)
½ - 1 tsp. Penzeys Freshly Ground Pepper

In a large bowl, combine lettuce, green onions and radishes. Cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and let drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Remove all but 3 TB of the bacon drippings from the pan, add the vinegar, Italian Salad Dressing Base and pepper to the pan and stir to dissolve the dressing base. Pour the warm dressing over the salad, crumble the bacon on top and serve immediately.

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4-6