I’m not a big fan of creamy dressings. Even when I ate Caesar salad, I was a minimalist with how much I used, but I have done a lot of experimenting and tried new things over the past five years ~ a little shift from parsley to dill, balsamic to white wine, can cause major flavor shifts!
I pulled an article years ago about four basic dressing styles that I have been toting around in my bag to read for ages. If you saw the paper in front of me you’d know I’m not exaggerating! In the piece, from Healthy Living magazine, the author defines these four as: classic, creamy, fruity and Asian.
Some favorites from my pantry
The classic is my favorite, and something everyone with access to a kitchen should have up their sleeve. It simple requires a high-quality oil paired with an acid (vinegar or citrus) and seasoning. My favorite is a little extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) with freshly squeezed lemon and zhatar seasoning, a Middle Eastern spice. Nice, light, and an easy crowd-pleaser. Dijon mustard with white wine or apple cider vinegar and EVOO is another great go-to with finely chopped tarragon, basil or oregano.Creamy dressings, when store bought or on a restaurant menu, often have yogurt, sour cream or mayonnaise, but you can substitute non-dairy yogurt, tofu sour cream or Nayonaise for each of those respectively and whip up a pretty terrific replica. For a vegan style Green Goddess dressing, choose one of the three bases I just mentioned and blend it with spinach, scallions, avocado, a little tarragon and some white wine vinegar. This is best with crispy greens (romaine or kale or endive) or as a dip for crudite.
Fruity dressings are not really my style, but if you mix balsamic vinegar with berries, nut oils, fruit juices, maybe a little agave or maple syrup, it would pair nicely with a spinach salad with strawberries and nuts, and similar kinds of salads. Fig balsamic happens to be fabulous if you've never had it before.
Asian dressings generally incorporate sesame or peanut oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce or tamari and related spices like lemongrass or ginger. Toss one of these blends over shredded Napa cabbage with sesame seeds, bean sprouts, slivered almonds, mandarin orange slices, and maybe even some crushed Ramen noodles, and you’ll want it all the time!
