Strawberry Jam Vinaigrette

 How are you doing on your New Years Resolutions this year?  Just like every year one of my top goals has to do with my health...  getting more sleep, exercising everyday and eating more veggies.  With this in mind, I try to have at least one salad a day.   I find that I will eat salads more if  I have some good stuff on hand, especially dressings (since I really hate most store bought ones-yuk)  Even though I get sick of the same old thing  I do not want to spend a lot of time creating some gourmet salad everyday.  Preparing some good dressing and stocking up on yummy salads stuff really helps you pull together a fantastic (even gourmet-ish) salad in minutes.  Today I am sharing one of my favorite dressings that is helping me eat more greens!

Years ago when I lived in Utah I had lunch at my friend Gina's house and she served the most wonderful salad with this dressing.  Of course I asked her for the recipe, and she kindly shared it with me.  I have since made this many times.  It is the perfect dressing in my opinion.  I use my homemade strawberry jam with great results.  I bet you could easily substitute any jam to change the flavor.  You can throw together a salad in minutes with whatever you happen to have on hand.  The possibilities are endless, but here are a few ideas to get you started:

Choose one or more from each list for a perfectly wonderful salad
*Greens: spinach, romaine, butter , green leaf etc
*Fruit: berries, apple slices, mandarins, pear slices, dried cranberries
*Nut: walnut, pecan, almonds, cashews, sunflowers (try to saute them with butter first, or sugar them--melt a few tablespoons of sugar in a pan add nuts and stir--watch carefully they burn very easily)
*Cheese:  Feta, Blue Cheese, Brie, Swiss, cheddar, gouda,  shaved parmesan
**If you are not a fan of cheese--try Avocado-yum!
**To make a more hearty salad try adding grilled chicken, sliced cold cuts, shrimp or salmon

Strawberry Vinaigrette
submitted by Melanie~ www.thesisterscafe.com

1/2 c red wine vinegar
1/3 c sugar
3/4 c oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 cup strawberry jam or jam of choice

Put in a jar with a lid and shake to combine, or place in the blender and pulse.  Keep in fridge.  ENJOY on your favorite salad!

Buttermilk Dressing (aka Ranch)

This is our favorite dressing to dip crisp veggies in, drizzle over salads and my boys even dip their pizza crusts in it. It comes from the Betty Crocker cookbook I got for a wedding gift. It is not called ranch, but that is what it tastes like. I am telling you, once you try this recipe and see how quick it is to make, you will NEVER buy that 'ranch' they sell bottled at the grocery store. Trust me:) The recipe is super easy to make and uses staple ingredients that I always have on hand. I must warn you though, I have tried to use low fat mayo, and we really didn't like the flavor. I am all for cutting the fat whenever you can, but not here. So, I would recommend going for the real deal and just eat less. This recipe will wow you with fantastic flavor with minimal effort. I LOVE recipes like that:)

Buttermilk Dressing
submitted by Melanie

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp dried minced onion
1/2 tsp salt
dash of freshly ground pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed

Mix all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours to blend flavors. Cover and refrigerate and remaining dressing.

*For Buttermilk Parmesan Dressing: Add 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 1/2 tsp paprika

Rosemary Balsamic Vinagrette & Giveaway

I have been making a salad everyday for my lunch and this is my new favorite dressing. I am a big fan of homemade salad dressings. They are so much better than anything you can buy, free of all the preservatives and unnatural ingredients and cheaper to boot! Just a win win win situations! I have a beautiful rosemary plant that is going crazy. I am telling you, everything grows so beautifully here in Tennessee. I had to baby my herbs in Utah but not here. I planted a basil plant, rosemary and thyme a few weeks ago and they have all exploded into big beautiful plants! I have already made a nice batch of Pesto with all the basil leaves. I can't wait to have a garden here! That is in the plans for next year
Anyway, back to this dressing... the combination of Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar is awesome! Lately I have been trying to cut some calories here and there (swimsuit season, ya know?!)so I have been substituting half the oil for water. It is quite runny that way but it still tastes great! Either way, I hope you enjoy!

Rosemary Balsamic Vinaigrette
submitted by Melanie

Printable here

1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 Tb fresh rosemary leaves (or 1/2 tsp dry)
2 Tb water
1/2 t coarse salt (such as Kosher)
1/4 tsp ground pepper
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. With machine running, add 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil in a think stream, blend until creamy.

My favorite Salad Combinations with this dressing:
Option #1
Romaine lettuce and Spinach
Toasted pecans
feta cheese
Pear slices

Option #2
Romaine and spinach
Grape Tomatoes
Pine nuts
Fresh Mozzarella
Sweet Red Pepper
Cucumber
Croutons
Chicken (opt)

**Now for the Giveaway**

I know that many of you have a SLR camera like me and so I thought you might be interested in this... I was recently introduced to some awesome camera strap covers at Shey [B] and she has offered to give a $25 gift certificate to one of our readers. Please go to her website here and tell us which one you would like.

We will use trusty random.org to pick the lucky person and make the announcement on Saturday Morning!

Garlic Caesar Salad Dressing

This caesar salad dressing is oh-so-good!! It is a mayo-free variation of the classic caesar dressing. My mother-in-law introduced it to me and now it's my husband's favorite salad (he has a strange aversion to mayo so this one is great!) Make sure to use lots and lots of parmesan cheese and some really good croutons. I like Costco's Foccacia croutons the best. I usually like to double it and keep it in the frig for later. (Of course it becomes solid due to the oil so make sure you take it out a bit before dinner to liquify again.) Forgive the lack of a picture...the one I took did not do this recipe justice!

Garlic Caesar Dressing
submitted by Brittany

1/2 c olive oil
2 Tb lemon juice (fresh is best)
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Use food processor and pulse to combine well. Toss desired amount with romaine lettuce, lots of grated parmesan cheese, and croutons. This recipe makes enough for one very large salad.