Tomato Cuke Salad w Tahini Yogurt Ranch Dressing
Tina at Mom’s Crazy Cooking has a monthly challenge for food bloggers. She asks all of us to make one certain thing on the 7th of each month … the idea is we are searching for the ultimate recipe for that one thing. This month it’s ranch dressing. Ranch I can do! I’ve made plain ranch, garlic ranch, avocado ranch, sundried tomato ranch … they were all really good, but this time I thought I would like to add some tahini (sesame seed paste) to the ranch and then lighten it up by cutting the amount of mayonnaise down. The tahini along with the fresh herbs adds such a complexity of flavor that you won’t even notice the mayo went away. This salad dressing makes an excellent dressing for just about any savory salad or a good dip for veggies or chips.
The tomato cucumber salad uses the fresh garden ingredients that are overflowing in my house right now: tomato and cucumber. I added some sweet onion, toasted walnuts and edam cheese because I thought they would taste wonderful with the fresh tomato & cucumber.
Tomato Cucumber Salad with Toasted Walnuts, Edam Cheese & Tahini Yogurt Ranch Dressing
For each salad:
- 1 – 2 tomatoes, that roughly match the diameter of the cucumber, cut into slices
- 1/2 – 1 cucumber, sliced thin
- A couple thin slices of sweet onion
- A few thin slices of edam cheese, cut into small rectangles
- A couple tablespoons of walnuts, toasted
- A couple Tablespoons of Tahini Yogurt Ranch Dressing (recipe below)
Directions:
- First make the dressing.
- Then prep the salad by alternately layering slices of cucumber and tomato on your plate. If it’s a round plate, simply follow the curve of the plate, then tuck the last tomato or cucumber under the starting one.
- Top with sweet onion slices, cheese and walnuts. Drizzle each “row” of tomato/cucumber slices with a bit of the dressing. Garnish with fresh parsley leaves.
- To eat the salad, take a slice of cucumber, slice of tomato and make sure to get a little onion, cheese, walnuts and dressing on top. It’s a little messy when you’re eating it, but SO worth it!
Tahini Yogurt Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons tahini
- 1 Tablespoon light mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup mixed fresh herbs (I used rosemary, basil, thyme, tarragon, oregano, parsley … dill would be wonderful too, but my dill plant has died off)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon salt (start with 1/4 teaspoon and add more to taste as needed) + freshly ground pepper to taste.
In a handi chopper or food processor, blend all ingredients till the herbs and garlic are well chopped and the mixture is fairly smooth. Taste the dressing and add salt and/or pepper to taste. Store any leftover dressing in a covered container in the fridge.
This is a Crazy Cooking Challenge post. Click on the button to see all the other wonderful ranch dressings.
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This recipe was also shared at Manic Monday, Newlyweds Recipe Linky, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Talent Show Tuesday, Thursday’s Treasures, Weekend Potluck and Fit & Fabulous Friday.
Cucumber Pesto Buttermilk Salad
This is one of those salads that came to me in the middle of the night. I was trying to think of something different to do with cucumbers beyond the regular cucumber salads … hadn’t come up with anything, but then about 3 a.m., I woke up and thought “Pesto! Pesto would be awesome on cucumbers!” So yeah, I guess I never stop thinking about food, even when I’m sleeping.
I have a bunch of English cucumbers my mom gave me from her garden. They are the BEST cucumbers, so crunchy and sweet, tiny little seeds that are never too big, and no sharp bitter taste at all. She had brought in a box of them and said to me “this is today’s pick … tomorrow we will have another bunch like this. So you may as well take them all.”
I found a bit of buttermilk in my fridge and thought I should use that up, so I mixed it with the pesto along with some yogurt to make the dressing. Together they made this lovely creamy blend that made me smile. I had actually intended to put some chickpeas in this salad as well, but I completely forgot about them until the salad was gone. Oh well, the chickpeas will go into something else!
Cucumber Pesto Buttermilk Salad
with Tomato, Feta Cheese and Pinons
Salad:
- 2 cups chopped English cucumber (or other fresh garden cucumber … )
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved, or chopped fresh tomato
- Feta cheese crumbles
- Pinons, toasted
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnish (if desired)
Dressing:
- 2 Tablespoons buttermilk
- 2 Tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons pesto (my recipe is here)
Chop up the cucumber and toss them in a bowl with the tomatoes, saving a few tomatoes for garnish on top of the salad. Mix up the buttermilk, yogurt and pesto till smooth and then toss the cucumber/tomato mixture with enough dressing to just coat the vegies. Top with feta cheese crumbles, pinons, the reserved tomatoes and fresh basil leaves and serve.
This recipe was shared at Fit & Fabulous Fridays, Summer Salad Sundays and Raw Food Recipes.
#Tomatolove: Sundried Tomato Ranch Dressing
After making Melissa’s Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette, I still had a few sundried tomatoes left and I thought perhaps I should try throwing them in some ranch dressing too? Yep, it works. Tastes mighty fine. The sundried tomatoes do make it thicker, so if you want a drizzle for your salad, you’ll need to thin it out a bit.
Sundried Tomato Buttermilk Ranch Salad Dressing (or Dip)
- 1/3 c. light mayonnaise
- 2/3 to 1 c. buttermilk
- 1/4 c. nonfat greek yogurt
- 3 heaping tablespoons chopped sundried tomatoes
- 2-3 big fresh cloves of garlic
- A handful of fresh basil leaves
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Several fresh parsley leaves or ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- A few fresh dill twigs or ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- A sprig of fresh rosemary leaves
- 2 green onions (tops only)
Whir all the ingredients in a handy chopper or food processor until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add more buttermilk as needed to get the dressing to the desired consistency. Mine was pretty thick, but I was using it for a pasta salad so that was just perfect.
Use for pasta or potato salad, on green salads or as a dip with vegies. Store in a covered container in the fridge.
This is a post for #tomatolove.
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This recipe was also shared at Summer Salad Sunday, Scrumptious Sundays, Weekend Potluck, Manic Monday, Tip Junkie, Cast Party Wednesday and EveryDay Mom’s Meals
Double Berry Cinnamon Swirl Sleepover Cake
It’s the morning after my girl’s 13th birthday party. The house is so still and quiet. Two of the girls had to get up early to go to church. It was a challenge rousing the first one. The second one got up with only one “wakeup call”, and a third came upstairs shortly after that, stealing up the stairs like a mouse behind me. Suddenly she was standing there next to me … that girl is stealthy …
She and I made some more rainbow fruit kebabs, then she had a slice of this cake I made this morning for the girls for breakfast. She said it was amazing. I asked her what we should name it and we thought “sleepover cake” was the best name. We potted flowers in the flowerpot that she painted last night. I gave her a taste of my chai tea. She told me about her lake cabin and how she climbs the tree there and goes swimming and swings in her tire swing and she has a whole shelf of movies and a lake cat that sometimes steals fish and then eats everything but the head. Now she is out exploring the forest … and I am avoiding finishing my taxes, so I thought I’d share the sleepover cake recipe with you.
This is Crunchy’s recipe. I saw it last week and knew I wanted to make it for the girls for “the morning after”. I threw in some berries, just for fun. It bakes up nicely in a cast iron skillet.
Ah, now the rest of them are up. One by one they emerged from their beds, hungry.
Double Berry Cinnamon Swirl Sleepover Cake
Adapted from A Little Bit Crunchy A Little Bit Rock and Roll
Wet ingredients:
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 cup blueberries
- 3/4 cup chopped strawberries, plus a few sliced strawberries for garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (I left out the nuts cuz my daughter doesn’t like nuts but personally I think it would be just heavenly with nuts)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you are using a cast iron skillet, place a 10-inch one in the oven to preheat. If you are using a loaf pan, grease it well and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the wet ingredients, then stir in the flours, baking soda and salt.
- In a small bowl combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together. Add the berries and nuts and stir gently to coat them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- If you are using the cast iron skillet, remove it from the oven and spray with cooking spray (or melt a little butter in the bottom).
- Pour half the batter into either the cast iron skillet or the loaf pan. Pour half the berry / sugar mixture on top. Pour on the remaining batter and then the remaining sugared berries. Gently drag a knife back and forth to swirl, taking care not to squish the berries.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes if using the loaf pan. Bake for 20-35 minutes if using the cast iron skillet or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
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This recipe was also shared at Crazy Sweet Tuesdays and Thursday’s Treasures.
Thai-Style Barbecued Chicken Salad
Even as I was eating my Thai Chicken Pizza the other night, I began dreaming of this salad. The flavors on that pizza were just screaming to be thrown over some pretty greens and doused in that amazing Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce. Add some pineapple, a bit of celery, and some chopped peanuts and ooh what a beautiful summer salad. I forgot I was actually going to throw in some carrots, but didn’t miss them until after I inhaled the salad, but if I did this again I would …
Thai-Style Barbecued Chicken Salad
For the chicken:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 per person)
- Plain nonfat yogurt and/or buttermilk for marinading the chicken
- Red Robin Seasoning (or your favorite seasoned salt)
- Granulated garlic (or chopped garlic cloves)
For the salad:
- Mixed organic greens
- Chopped fresh pineapple
- Chopped fresh celery
- Red onion, thinly sliced
- Carrot, thinly sliced (if desired) or carrot “ribbons” would be lovely too
- Peanuts, toasted and roughly chopped
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Thai Peanut Sauce (super simple recipe here!)
Marinade the chicken in yogurt or buttermilk. I used about half yogurt, half buttermilk. (No, I didn’t measure it, just poured it into a bowl till it looked like about the right amount to cover my chicken.) Then I added some granulated garlic and Red Robin seasoning until it tasted good. Then I added the chicken and let it marinade for an hour. Or two. I don’t know exactly how long …
Heat up your grill and put the chicken on there and cook it up till the juices run clear when you pierce the chicken with a knife.
Slice up that lovely hot chicken.
Pile the greens on your salad plate(s), then top with pineapple, celery, onion, carrots and cilantro leaves. Arrange the chicken on the greens and drizzle with the Thai Peanut Sauce, then sprinkle with nuts and a few more cilantro leaves.
Enjoy!
This recipe was shared at Fit & Fabulous Fridays, Weekend Potluck, Strut your Stuff Saturday, Recipe Lion Spring Blog Hop, and Real Housewives Recipe Roundup.
Skinny Garlic Basil Buttermilk Ranch Dip
This is an incredibly flavorful dip, but it doesn’t have to be a dip … add a little extra buttermilk and it’s a salad dressing. Or use it as the sauce for a pizza, instead of the red sauce. Spread it on little toasts and top with your choice of bruschetta toppings. It could be a sandwich spread. There are so many things you could do with this stuff!
I have actually shared this dip before, with my Blue Devil Jalapeno Poppers, but I made it again to use in a different way, and I think it deserves its own post. You can serve it with vegies or chips or jalapeno poppers or chicken nuggets. Add some blue cheese and use it for dipping buffalo chicken wings. This is such a versatile dip. You really need this in your life.
Skinny Garlic Basil Buttermilk Ranch Dip
This dip has an intense garlic flavor … if you don’t like things too garlicky, reduce the garlic.
Inspired by Mother Thyme and Alice Q. Foodie
- 1/3 c. light mayonnaise
- 1/3 c. buttermilk
- 1/4 c. nonfat greek yogurt
- 2-3 big fresh cloves of garlic
- A handful of fresh basil leaves
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Several fresh parsley leaves or ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- A few fresh dill twigs or ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- A sprig of fresh rosemary leaves
- 2 green onions (tops only)
Whir all the ingredients in a handy chopper or food processor until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.
This recipe was shared at Midnight Maniac Meatless Mondays, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Cast Party Wednesday, Midweek Fiesta and Fit & Fabulous Fridays.
IHOP-style Buttermilk Pancakes
My kids absolutely love going to the International House of Pancakes (IHOP), but sometimes I just don’t feel like I have an extra $30 to spend on pancakes for the three of us. So one morning when they were begging me to take them to IHOP, I suggested we make try making their beloved buttermilk pancakes at home.
I found this recipe on food.com, altered it up a bit to my liking, and we have been happily making these light, fluffy buttermilk pancakes ever since … oh, sometimes we still go to IHOP just for the fun of it, but quite often we have our own little pancake festival at home. My daughter just ate five of them. Now I don’t make them quite as big as IHOP does, but five of these pancakes is quite a big breakfast!
IHOP-style Buttermilk Pancakes
They really do taste like IHOP pancakes, only healthier for you and so much easier on the pocketbook.
Makes about 8 – 10 light, fluffy pancakes
Adapted from this recipe on Food.com
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 2 Tablespoons melted butter
- 1-2 teaspoons good quality vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/8 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat the egg slightly, then stir in the buttermilk, butter, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients and stir well until the batter is smooth.
- In a large flat pan with a cover, spray the pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat till warmed.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and pour about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake, leaving space between the cakes for the batter to expand. (These pancakes will puff up quite a bit, so I cover them and cook them on a lower heat in order to get them to cook all the way through.)
- Cover the pan for a minute or two, then check the brown-ness of the underside of the cakes.
- When they are golden brown, carefully flip the cakes (making sure you cut them apart first if they have “grown” together while cooking), cover the pan again, and cook until the other half is golden brown.
- If you don’t have hungry pancake eaters circling you by now, set the cooked pancakes on a warmed plate and cover with a towel to keep them warm while you finish cooking the rest of the cakes.
- Serve warm with your favorite syrup.
This recipe was shared at Everyday Mom’s Meals and Thursday’s Treasures.
Brandied Pumpkin Maple Spice Ice Cream
I know it might seem a little odd to be making ice cream in the fall when the weather is starting to get chilly, but think about it. This is the time of year when people are baking pies and apple crisp and don’t you always want a scoop of ice cream on top? Why use plain old vanilla ice cream when you can have something much more exciting?
Brandied Pumpkin Maple Spice Ice Cream
I think next time I make this, I will use some whipping cream in place of the fat free half & half to get a more creamy texture. The flavor was amazing, the texture could have been a bit creamier.
Ingredients:
- 2 c. fat-free half & half
- 1 c. buttermilk
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- Several pieces of candied ginger (I think I used 5 pieces.)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 c. of cooked pumpkin or butternut squash puree
- 2 t. vanilla
- 1/4 t. nutmeg
- 1/4 t. cinnamon
- 1/4 t. cardamom
- 1/8 c. maple syrup
- 1/4 c. brandy … (Optional, but if you leave out the alcohol, the ice cream will get much harder in the freezer. The alcohol keeps it from freezing too hard.)
Directions:
- In a medium saucepan, mix half & half, buttermilk & brown sugar. Add the candied ginger. Heat, stirring frequently, until small bubbles form at the edge of the pan.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg with a whisk or mixer until frothy.
- Slowly drizzle a stream of the hot cream mixture (about 1 cup of it) into the egg, whisking or beating constantly.
- Gradually add the egg mixture back into the remaining hot cream mixture in the saucepan, whisking as you go.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens slightly and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon–roughly 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, transfer into a glass jar and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled–at least 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, stir together the pumpkin or butternut squash in a bowl with the spices, vanilla, maple syrup and the brandy till smooth. If there are any chunks in the squash, run it through a blender, food processor, or handi chopper to get a smooth mixture.
- Once the cream mixture is cool, pull it out of the fridge and strain out and discard the candied ginger chunks.
- Mix together the pureed pumpkin mixture with the cooled cream mixture till they are well blended.
- Freeze in your ice cream maker till good and frozen. With my little Cuisinart ice cream maker, it takes about 20 minutes.
Use this ice cream atop your favorite pie or autumn dessert … or by itself, drizzled with a little maple syrup, caramel sauce or sprinkled with a bit of chopped candied ginger. But today I’m enjoying my ice cream “plain”, just like this and it’s delicious … it has enough depth of flavor to be an elegant dessert all by itself.
Garlic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
I really really love potatoes. In most any form, but especially mashed or twice baked. At Thanksgiving, I put way more mashed potatoes and stuffing on my plate than turkey (or ham or whatever meat we are having). But my dad always makes the potatoes, it seems, so although I love them (and I have been called upon occasionally to mash them when we are rushing to prepare the feast), I really didn’t quite know how to make REALLY good mashed potatoes.
So you can imagine I was totally on top of the world when Tina at Mom’s Crazy Cooking chose mashed potatoes for our Crazy Cooking Challenge for November. I SO needed to find and master the killer recipe for mashed potatoes!
I did a lot of searching around, but I didn’t want one of those made with tons of cream and butter or fattening cream cheese. I wanted something completely delicious, incredible tasting, very creamy, but yet healthy.
I found the answer at Eclectic Recipes: Buttermilk and Garlic! This is it. Seriously.
Garlic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
These potatoes are creamy delicious goodness from Eclectic Recipes. I did scale down the recipe a bit since I was making them for myself, so just add more potatoes, garlic, and buttermilk if you have lots of hungry people to feed!
- 4 large potatoes (I used 2 large reds, 1 yukon gold, and 1 purple potato)
- 2 cloves garlic
- About 1/2 cup buttermilk (as much as needed for creamy goodness)
- 2 T. butter
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or Red Robin Seasoning
- Fresh snipped chives (or dried if you have no fresh), for garnish
Directions:
- Bring a saucepan of water and the kosher salt to a boil. Peel potatoes, if desired. Cut potatoes in similarly sized chunks, and add to boiling water. Make sure the chunks are pretty large. If using small potatoes, just boil whole. Add garlic cloves. Boil the potatoes and garlic over medium heat, until they are very tender and pierce easily with a fork.
- Drain potatoes, and add back to the saucepan. Place the potatoes back on the warm burner, and allow the extra water to evaporate. Mash them up with a potato masher, process in a food mill, or use a ricer. (I had to use my pastry cutter because I don’t have a potato masher … can you believe it? But it worked really well.)
- When potatoes are mashed, add butter, and stir to combine. Add buttermilk until you get the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remember not to over mix, or the potatoes can get a glue like consistency.
- Top with a small pat of butter and some snipped chives. Watch the butter melt and ooze over the potatoes. Serve to your drooling guests.
There are a couple other good-looking mashed potato recipes out there I found on my quest for the perfect mashed potato that I would like to try someday as well:
Click here to see the entire list of mashed potato recipes in the November Crazy Cooking Challenge …
This recipe was also shared at Recipe of the Week: Potatoes.
Amaretto Pumpkin Bread Pudding
with Maple Amaretto Whipped Cream
I love bread pudding, partly because my mother used to make it for us when we were kids but also because it is transformational.
It transforms old crusty unwanted bread into a warm, elegant, soft and comforting dessert or breakfast.
So appropriate for fall when the world is in a state of transformation. Summer is retreating and winter is on her way. The trees are transforming from their summer selves into their winter state of sleep. My son says the display of color on the trees is their way of saying goodnight. I like that thought.
It all parallels the transformations occurring in our lives. My daughter is transforming from a girl to a young lady, my son is beginning his transformation from teenage life to adult-hood, and me? I am in the process of discovering myself. I got divorced a couple years ago, and it was very painful, but it didn’t take me long to realize that it was the right thing for all of us. I mourned the death of that relationship, then I rejoiced as I re-discovered pieces of myself I had locked away. And I began my transformation. Sometimes I feel like I just want to settle into a relationship again. I get frustrated that I can’t seem to find someone to love, but I noticed that with each new man I date, I learn something new about myself. I feel a bit like a butterfly trying out my new wings.
Pumpkin Amaretto Bread Pudding
Amaretto: An Italian amber-colored liqueur with an almondlike flavor, although it is actually flavored with apricot kernels; it was originally made in Saronno and called Amaretto di Saronno. (A little info I got from my friend at Delicacies by Dan)
Inspired by: Eat Drink and Be Merry’s Pumpkin Pecan Bread Pudding
Ingredients:
- Crusty or old Bread, cubed and toasted (about 4 cups of bread cubes)
- 1 c. fat free half and half
- 1/2 c. buttermilk
- 1/8 c. amaretto
- 1 t. pumpkin pie seasoning
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 c. pumpkin (canned or cooked)
- 1 t. vanilla
- 1/4 c. toasted pecans
- 1/8 c. maple syrup
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and place on a baking sheet to toast lightly, about 5 minutes or so.
- Spray a small casserole dish with cooking spray and place the toasted bread cubes in the casserole dish.
- Whisk the wet ingredients (half and half through vanilla) in a bowl until fully mixed.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture over the bread in the casserole and fold gently to coat the bread. Let sit for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle the top of the pudding with toasted pecans and drizzle with the maple syrup.
- Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until the pudding is set. It should spring back when you press lightly into the top. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm. Drizzle with maple syrup and top with homemade whipped cream (see below)
Maple Amaretto Whipped Cream
- 1/2 pint of whipping cream
- 1/8 c. maple syrup
- 1/8 t. pumpkin pie seasoning
- 2 t. amaretto
Creamy Lowfat Blue Cheese Salad Dressing
Do you like blue cheese? I think it’s one of those things you either love or hate. If you don’t, then skip this post. I’m sure there’s something else here that’ll catch your fancy.
Me, I love blue cheese. When I’m at a restaurant and they ask me what kind of dressing I want on my salad, I always say “Blue Cheese on the Side.” When I’m at home, I change up the dressings a lot and experiment with different flavors, but when I’m out, I want blue cheese. If I’m lucky it’s one that they make fresh at the restaurant that has real hunks of blue cheese in it.
You can whip up an awesome low-fat dressing in just a few minutes that will taste SOOoooo much better than the store-bought stuff — and it will be a heck of a lot healthier for you. Oh, and it costs a lot less than those bottled dressings that have all the nasty chemical preservatives in them. Have you ever read the labels on one of those bottles?
Trust me on this one, it’s SO much better to make your own. You’ll feel like a rock star when you serve your salad with homemade blue cheese dressing.
Creamy Low-fat Blue Cheese Salad Dressing
Adapted from Eating Well
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup nonfat buttermilk, or nonfat milk — I used fat free half and half, but I think buttermilk would be better
- 1/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar, red wine vinegar or white vinegar (I used 1 T. red wine & 1 T. white)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon pesto (optional)
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese, (1 ounce)
Directions:
- Whisk together all ingredients except the blue cheese until smooth.
- Stir in the blue cheese. I like to leave it chunky, but if you want, you can mash the blue cheese with your spoon to blend it into your dressing more.
Here it is on the Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Sweet Spicy Nuts:
