Shake Up Your Summer Salad

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but summer has arrived. It’s hot. It’s really hot. It’s so hot I don’t want to have to do anything that will make it hotter.
Because of this, we eat a lot of salads in the summer.

I don’t know about your family, but mine is all over the place in the summer. One kid is off to Shakespeare camp. The other is off to their job. I’m in and out, as is my husband. It’s easier to simply prep a lot of salad ingredients and keep them on hand for people to throw together as they want than try to make full meals.

The one thing I do like to do to make salads a bit more interesting is to make a variety of dressings. Once a week, I make between four and five dressings for people to use throughout the week. I’ve gathered some of my recipes here for you and your family, and I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

This is wonderful on salads with leftover grilled meats or pasta salads. It’s GREAT on a salad with Brussels sprouts and almonds with leftover rotisserie chicken. Because it doesn’t have any mayonnaise in it, you can take it on picnics without worry.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (I like coarse ground or whole grain, but you can use smooth, too)
1 to 2 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 small shallot, finely diced
1 teaspoon dried tarragon or 2 tablespoons fresh, destemmed and chopped
Salt and pepper
A dash or two of hot sauce (you will see that this is my secret for great dressings and sauces; I use Cholula in this)
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Put all the ingredients in a large jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake until the salt is dissolved. This will keep for about 5 days in the fridge.

Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing

Oh, this is SO good! It’s similar to one we made at one of the restaurants I cooked in, and I love it. My favorite salad right now (it will change by this time next week) is to toss spinach, fresh peaches, fresh apricots, red onions, and leftover grilled chicken in a little bit of this dressing. Heaven on a plate!

Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise
¾ cup buttermilk
1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 to 2 teaspoons honey
½ teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano (marjoram is a little sweeter, so I prefer it in this)
Salt and lots of freshly ground pepper
1 5-oz container crumbled blue cheese or gorgonzola
A dash or two of your favorite hot sauce (I use a Louisiana hot sauce like Crystal or Tabasco in this)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Place in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and allow to chill for at least an hour before serving. If the dressing is too thick for your liking, add a little more buttermilk. This will keep for about a week in the refrigerator.

Really Green Goddess Dressing

This is a healthy and delicious take on that old favorite. It’s wonderful on almost every kind of salad, but it works really well with grains and beans!

Ingredients

1 large, ripe avocado
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 green onions, roots removed and roughly chopped
Lots of fresh leafy herbs – I use what I have on hand or what the garden is producing like tarragon, basil, parsley, oregano, dill, chervil, and/or sage
Juice of ½ lemon
A squeeze of anchovy paste (you won’t taste it, I promise) or a couple of drops of fish sauce
Salt and lots of freshly ground pepper
A dash or two of hot sauce (I use good ol’ Cholula for this)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and puree. Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least an hour before using. This will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days.

green salad dressing with avocado, lime and cilantro in a glass jar on a rustic background

Cilantro Lime Dressing

This is fabulous on salads with a Tex-Mex or Southwestern flair or with a Middle Eastern bent. It’s funny how the same ingredients are used in such disparate cuisines.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon tahini
2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 2 to 4 limes (I like mine sour, but not everyone does)
Salt and pepper to taste
A dash or two of hot sauce (I use Cholula for this, but if I’m feeling wild and wacky, I’ll throw in a bit of harissa instead)
1 bunch cilantro, rinsed and shaken dry
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Place all ingredients except olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine the ingredients. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a slow stream. Taste for seasoning and store in the fridge for up to a week.