Posted July 16. 2010
Salad dressing is so easy to make, and homemade can be much tastier than store-bought varieties.
Timaree Hagenburger, a nutrition professor at Cosumnes River College and a registered dietitian teaching a nutrition series at Hutchins Street Square in Lodi, has three easy recipes for creating delicious Vinaigrettes and dressings.
“People spend way too much money purchasing bottled salad dressings that, frankly, don’t taste that great,” Hagenburger said. “It’s so simple to make your own, and it’s just so much better.”
And with a bounty of fresh vegetables available, it’s easy to make a meal out of a salad. Think of adding crispness and crunch to simple mixed greens by tossing in sliced red Bell Peppers, radishes, shredded carrots, chopped cucumber, green onion, diced avocado and even baby summer squash.
Once home cooks become comfortable with whipping up their own dressings, it’s easy to experiment by using a variety of herbs, vinegars and oils to switch things up.
“Using different herbs will also change the personality of the dressing and food you plan to dress,” Hagenburger said. “In addition, the oil provides opportunities for experimentation. To increase the hearthealthy omega-3 fats, a combination of Olive oil and Walnut oil could be used.”
Try these recipes to dress up a salad, marinate meats or use as a dipping sauce.
Contact reporter Jo Ann Kirby at (209) 546-8256 or jkirby@ recordnet.com. Visit her blog at recordnet.com/lensblog.
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Tags: Food, Heart, Information
