BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

July 20, 2017 Julie Sanchez

I have been making this dressing for 30 years, and until recently never measured anything as I made it. Since I never measured any ingredient, it came out a little different every time, which was perfectly fine except that people began asking me for the recipe. So I was forced to measure and test the recipe. I first started making this recipe when my children were young. My two sons were always starving at dinner, and if I served a salad with veggies and meat the salad would go untouched. So I started to follow the French custom to serve the salad as the first course. This way my family enjoyed a healthy salad to start our dinner, and every salad plate was empty when removed from the table. Additionally we got to spend more time together at the dinner table, which looking back was by far my most treasured time spent with my family.

I like to buy good quality olive oil and local honey. Ina Garten recommends that you buy several brands of olive oil, have a taste test and then you will always know which brand you prefer.

These 5 simple ingredients will change your life. Once you realize how easy it is to make this amazing dressing, you will never buy store bought salad dressing again!

Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon. Honestly, when I make this dressing I never measure anything, I do it by sight. So I always simply use the juice of 1 lemon. Having said that some lemons are super juicy and some are dry so I felt like I needed to give you a basis for measurement.

Combine the lemon juice, dijon, balsamic vinegar, and honey in a medium sized bowl. Place the bowl on a folded towel so the bowl will not slide around while you are pouring and whisking the oil in. Measure out your oil in a pourable container so you can slowly stream the oil in to emulsify your dressing.

You will need to purchase a small whisk if you do not have one. Once your dijon mixture is combined, slowly stream the oil into the bowl as you whisk constantly. You will see the dijon mixture slowly absorb the oil and thicken its viscosity. You can always stop pouring momentarily to make sure all the oil is absorbed into the mixture and then begin streaming the oil once more. You can not rush this, you may mess up your first batch by pouring too quickly but once you try it and understand how magical it is, you will be hooked!

BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE RECIPE

Serves: 4 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes

SPECIAL TOOLS

small whisk

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon lemon juice (1 lemon)
2 tablespoons dijon mustard (Grey Poupon)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 cup olive oil

PREPARATION

Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon in a small bowl. Measure out 1 tablespoon and pour into a medium sized bowl.
Add the dijon, vinegar, and honey to the lemon juice. Using a small whisk combine the ingredients till smooth.
Place the bowl on a folded towel, so the bowl will not slide while you are simultaneously pouring the oil and whisking.
As you begin whisking your dijon mixture with one hand, slowly pour the oil into the bowl with a fine stream, constantly whisking. Slowly the mustard mixture will emulsify and absorb the oil. You can stop midstream and keep whisking if are nervous the first time to make sure all the oil in incorporated before more oil is added.

Note: Store the dressing in a airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Before using, let it come to room temperature and re whisk as needed.

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SHRIMP,AVOCADO,AND MANGO SALAD WITH COCONUT LIME DRESSING

February 19, 2016 Julie Sanchez

This delicious and crunchy salad was inspired by a shrimp and avocado salad I ate at Ouisies Table here in Houston. The salad came with a coconut lime dressing that I could have eaten with a spoon. Thus began my quest for replicating this tart and slightly sweet dressing. I added jicama and cucumbers to the salad for crunch as well as mango to enhance the tropical feel of the coconut.

These are the ingredients you need for the salad. I like to buy manilo mangoes because they tend to be more juicy than other mangoes. A ripe mango feels just like a ripe peach...a little squishy to the touch. Once you try a jicama you will be addicted to its juicy crunch. It really has no taste but it is great in salads and Asian stir fry. My husband loves simply sliced jicama sprinkled with tajin and key lime juice. I also prefer a seedless hothouse cucumber over a normal cucumber since the seeds are smaller, its less bitter, and you can eat the peeling.

For the dressing you need a can of coconut milk, not lite coconut milk. You can find coconut milk usually in the international aisle of your grocery store. The coconut milk is very weird looking when you open the can. It looks like thick shortening that has settled to the top. You must empty the can and mix the liquid with the solid to combine. Save the remaining coconut milk and experiment the next week by making a fun curry dish! If you do not have rice vinegar than use apple cider vinegar.

You can see the thicker part of the coconut milk I pulled out of the top of the can and the liquid at the bottom of the can. The finished coconut lime dressing is not very thick, which I prefer. If you like a thicker dressing than pour off some of the liquid at the bottom of the can at this point.

Whisk the coconut milk till smooth, or mix in a nutri bullet.

Once the coconut milk is smooth, measure out 1/2 cup of the milk and put in a medium size bowl.

Squeeze your limes, you need 2 tablespoons for your dressing and a splash for your shrimp.

Finely chop your fresh cilantro.

I like to cut the shrimp down the length of the shrimp to divide the shrimp into two pieces for 2 reasons. One it makes it easier to clean the shrimp. And two it makes it seem like you have twice as many shrimp, and you will not have to use a knife when eating your salad because the shrimp is already bite size.

Once you have cut and cleaned you shrimp, wash them and dry them well with paper towels. Then place them in a bowl and drizzle on your olive oil and sprinkle with Cajun seasoning, or salt and pepper.

Heat a small skillet on medium high heat. Add shrimp, add a splash of remaining lime juice and cook for 1 to 2 minutes till the shrimp turn opaque and start to curl.

Remove the shrimp from the pan to stop the cooking process, toss half of the chopped cilantro in the bowl and toss. Place in the frig to cool while prepping your other ingredients.

Cut the top and bottom off the celery and simply cut thin slices crossways up the celery stalk. You do not want to cut down the length of the celery like you do for soups. You want the celery to look like little moons.

With a hothouse cucumber you can eat the peeling, so simply cut the cucumber in half, then thinly slice it.

First peel your mango.

Mangoes have a long wide pit in the middle of the fruit. The middle section in the photo above is the pit. So cut down each side of the mango to get your two large sections of fruit. You may be able to scrap off a little more off the pit but it is difficult, since the pit is the length and width of the mango, just not the depth.

You can see the pit in the top right corner. Cut the mango in strips and then cubes.

Jicamas are weird looking creatures. (I wish I could draw a smiley face on the jicama above) Cut the ends off the jicama first.

Then cut all the sides off to form a rectangle or square. Yes there will be waste, but your matchsticks will not be uniform and pretty if you try to use the whole jicama. Plus the square is so much easier to work with.

Cut thin slices, then cut the thin slices into matchsticks. You can save the remaining jicama by putting in a container covered with water and place in the fridge.

Score your avocado into cubes lengthwise and crosswise with the skin still on.

Carefully scoop out the cubes with a spoon.

All your ingredients will then be ready for you to assemble your salad.

I like to buy romaine hearts at Whole Foods, the core of the romaine. I add romaine for the crunch factor. Simply chop your romaine.

I use spring mix as well, that I tear into small pieces. You could also use spinach or arugula. I like to combine healthier lettuces with the romaine. It also adds a little color variation which is appealing.

SHRIMP,AVOCADO,AND MANGO SALAD WITH COCONUT LIME DRESSING RECIPE

Serves 2 people
Prep Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTs(FOR DRESSING)

1/2 cup coconut milk, from a can, not lite coconut milk
2 limes, juiced
1 tablespoon rice vinegar ( or apple cider vinegar)
2 tablespoons honey
1 clove of garlic, minced finely
1/4 cup olive oil
cayenne pepper, dash
pinch of salt

PREPARATION(For dressing)

Open your can of coconut milk. It will be solid on the top and liquid on the bottom, so you will have to scoop the contents into a medium bowl and either mix it up with a whisk or put it in your nutri bullet to combine.
Once combined, measure out 1/2 cup of the creamy coconut milk and pour in a medium sized bowl.
Juice your 2 limes. Measure 2 tablespoons lime juice and add to the coconut milk. mixture. Save the remaining lime juice for your shrimp.
Add your rice vinegar, honey, garlic, cayenne pepper, and salt to the coconut milk mixture. Whisk to combine.
Slowly whisk in olive oil. (Dressing will not be super thick, if you prefer a thicker dressing you can discard some of the coconut liquid in the bottom of the can to make the milk thicker.)

INGREDIENTS(fOR sALAD)

10 medium to large shrimp, cleaned and sliced in half lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
dash of Cajun seasoning, or salt and pepper
splash of remaining lime juice
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped finely
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1/2 of a medium cucumber or 1/3 of a hothouse seedless cucumber ( my favorite) sliced
1 mango, chopped
1/2 of a jicama, sliced into matchsticks
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 of a head of romaine, roughly chopped
1 box of spring mix, or arugula, or spinach

PREPARATION(for salad)

Cut your shrimp in half lengthwise, remove the poop and the veins, wash the shrimp, and lay them on paper towels to dry them off.
Put shrimp in medium bowl, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle on the Cajun seasoning. Toss to combine.
Put a small sauté pan on medium high heat. Add shrimp, add a splash of remaining lime juice and cook about 1 to 2 minutes till opaque and starting to curl. Transfer the cooked shrimp to a bowl to prevent overcooking.
Sprinkle in half of the chopped cilantro into the shrimp mixture and toss to coat all the shrimp. Place shrimp in refrigerator to cool off while prepping your remaining ingredients.
Cut up your celery, do not cut down the length of the celery, just slice finely crosswise down the stalk.
Cut your cucumber in half lengthwise and then finely slice the 2 halves.
Peel your mango, then turn the mango on its side and slice each side down from the middle seed. The seed is the entire length and width of the mango but not the depth. Refer to photo above.
Peel and slice your jicama into matchsticks. Its easiest to cut the round jicama into a square, then you can create matchsticks. Yes, there is waste, but the uniformity of the matchsticks is much more appealing when cutting from the squared off jicama!
Cut you avocado in half, remove the seed. Then score the avocado in the skin. Scoop out the avocado cubes with a spoon.
Roughly chop your romaine, and tear your spring mix into smaller pieces, arrange in 2 bowls or plates.
Combine all other ingredients on top, however beautifully you choose to. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro.

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Note: The shrimp and the dressing can be prepared ahead of time, and kept in the refrigerator.

CREAMY CAESAR DRESSING

February 5, 2016 Julie Sanchez

My Caesar dressing is so creamy, tangy, and garlicky that once you taste it you will never buy Caesar dressing again. I have been perfecting this recipe my entire adult life. Years ago I only made the more traditional caesar salad recipe which was very good. But I wanted a creamier dressing...one that really clings to the lettuce. So after much testing I finally came up with the perfect combo of both mayo and olive oil. Using just mayonnaise and no olive oil makes a dressing that I feel is too thick and rich. Adding olive oil gives the dressing the perfect consistency.

Most of these ingredients are pantry staples except the anchovy paste. Anchovy paste is so amazing since it comes in a tube that you can keep in your fridge for months. I used to hate to have to look at the anchovies that we had to buy before this paste came out. You may be tempted to leave off the anchovy paste, please be brave and try it first. It gives the dressing a zip that can not be replaced.

I like to grate the parmesan with a microplane. The microplane grates the cheese so fine it is similar to snow. If you do not have a microplane I encourage you to buy one. Its great for zesting limes and lemons, grating fresh nutmeg, and grating fine chocolate.

Combine all the ingredients, except the olive oil, in a medium bowl. Add more black pepper than you think you need. Stir to combine.

Place a towel under your bowl, so it will not move around as you whisk the olive oil in. Slowly stream the olive oil in the mayo mixture as you whisk. You want the olive oil to slowly incorporate into the mayo. This method insures that the dressing stays creamy and will not separate. If you simply dump the olive oil in there is a chance the dressing will separate, which means the olive oil and mayo never combined properly. Trust me on this, I know from experience.

CREAMY CAESAR DRESSING RECIPE

Serves 4 people

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
black pepper (grind more than you think you need)
1/2 cup olive oil

PREPARATION

In medium size bowl add all ingredients except olive oil, stir to combine.
Put your bowl on a towel or paper towel so it will not move around when you begin to whisk in the olive oil.
Slowly drizzle the olive oil into your bowl as you are stirring the mixture with a whisk or fork. Let the mayo mixture slowly absorb the oil. If you just dump the oil in the mayo mixture it will not stay creamy and thick and might separate (which means the oil and mayonnaise will not combine).

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