Get "Dressed" Already

As promised, today I will post some great salad dressings from yesterday's class. They are fairly versatile and full of flavor.

Tarragon Vinaigrette: Yields 1 cup
1 Tbsp prepared Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup white wine or champagne vinegar
1 Tbsp minced fresh tarragon
1 Tbsp minced shallot (approx. 1 shallot)
1 Tbsp minced garlic (1-2 cloves)
1 and 1/2 Tbsp honey
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp flax seed oil

Combine Dijon, salt, vinegar and tarragon in a medium bowl. Add shallots, garlic and honey. Slowly whisk in olive oil and flax seed oil.


Indonesian Peanut Dressing: Yields about 2 cups
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chili powder
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp maple crystals (or sugar)
1 tsp shoyu
1 tsp salt
6 oz coconut milk
1/4 cup peanut butter

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil and sweat onions and garlic, covered. Add chili powder, lemon zest, lemon juice, maple crystals, shoyu and salt.
2. In a medium bowl, combine coconut milk and peanut butter. Add to onion mixture in saucepan.
3. Cover and gently simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often. Puree in a blender until smooth, adding a bit of water to thin out the dressing if necessary.
We enjoyed this dressing with a salad of cabbage, cucumber, green beans and sprouts, but try it with most anything!


Tahini Dressing: Yields 1 cup
2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp brown rice vinegar
2 Tbsp umeboshi vinegar (you could probably substitute red wine vinegar)
3 Tbsp water
1 and 1/2 tsp whole grain mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
6 Tbsp tahini

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth, making sure to scrape down the sides of the blender. Add additional water, if necessary, to thin to dressing consistency. Alternatively, the dressing can be kept thick and used as a dip with crudite (as seen in the picture).


To conclude, I am starting a new "segment" of my blog where I will post random stories and sightings from NYC. I witness and experience some of the weirdest things throughout the week that I think all of you would benefit or get a kick out of hearing about.

Only in NY
Today on the subway, there was this little girl sitting across from me. When I boarded the train, she was trying to change the batteries in her old-school Walkman (yes, I said it). When finished, she sat back and starting humming along - not flat out singing, but hitting a note here or there. She was very into the music though, rocking back and forth and bobbing her head along to the tune. Now, the subway is not a very accepting place when it comes to singing. The middle-aged women sitting around her were glaring at her and scoffing because she was "singing," an act most people preferably refrain from. I started to feel a bit bad for the little girl as she got the evil-eye from our fellow commuters. Then, as she sang a couple of notes, I realized exactly what song homegirl was so "in to." She was jammin' out to the Electric Slide! She even did a couple of dance moves when she got off the train at her destination. Not only was she not listening to anything inappropriate, foul, vulgar, or promiscuous, but she was listening to the song that all of those women have happily danced to at most every wedding they have ever attended. The lesson was so simple - don't judge a book by it's cover. She may have looked a little rough around the edges, but she was completely harmless and simply enjoys tacky music :)