Greens season is here! Springtime/Early Summer in Kentucky brings so many ways to enjoy the greens revolution. Recent research is helping us understand all the many ways that eating greens can impact our health. The first few weeks of the CSA will be heavy on greens like kale, spinach, lettuces, collards, and bok choi because greens grow so well here in our climate this time of year. I am always happy to see the leafy stuff arrive because all winter long I crave those fresh greens. I have even been known to devour an entire head of lettuce by myself in one setting. When it comes to fresh salads, it’s all about the dressing for me and making my own dressings is one of the simplest ways I’ve found to enjoy variety and keep everyone eating those salad. Salads aren’t just about lettuce anymore either – kale is also making a resurgence as a favorite salad green. Creamy dressings epecially lend themselves well to making salads with heartier greens like kale and spinach. Here are three of my favorite dressings.
1) I love Well Plated by Erin and her version of Caesar Dressing. Cesar salad is an indulgence of mine, unfortunately traditional Cesar dressing can be pretty heavy so there are a few hacks that I do to lighten it up a bit. Most Caesar dressings call for mayonnaise or a lot of oil but I will substitute some or all of the mayo for plain yogurt. You could go 50/50 yogurt and mayo or even reduce the mayo further. Anchovy paste is a classic ingredient of Caesar dressing – I learned this the hard way when I was in college and made a Caesar salad with a store-bought dressing for a vegan friend and he couldn’t eat it because it had fish in it! Imagine my embarrassment. But I do love anchovy paste (and you probably do too, even if you didn’t know it) and it is readily available at the grocery store (yes Kroger carries it) and Trader Joe’s also has a great anchovy paste. Add lemon juice (fresh or bottled), dijon mustard, and black pepper and VOILA! Pour it on and never look back!!!!
2) Buttermilk Ranch – the gold standard? In high school I ate a chicken patty sandwich dipped in ranch dressing for lunch every day for 4 years. I wouldn’t recommend that now, but let’s be honest: most of us love ranch! And this recipe from Once Upon a Chef is so simple and packs the flavor with fresh herbs and buttermilk. Don’t be intimidated by buttermilk, it’s actually super easy to make your own with milk, lemon, or vinegar – I end up making my own buttermilk often because it’s not something I usually keep stocked in the fridge.
3) Tahini is perhaps the best kept salad dressing secret. Tahini is one of the main ingredients in hummus so if you like hummus I highly recommend going down this path. If you are dairy-free and in need of a good creamy alternative, look no further! I discovered Annie’s Goddess Dressing in college when I was working at the Good Foods Co-Op in Lexington and was so impressed. I Love Vegan has a good recipe for making your own Tahini Goddess Dressing. If you don’t have all the herbs in your pantry, don’t panic, do the best you can and it will be delicious.
