WASHINGTON — May is National Salad Month, a time when American families gather to set aside their differences, exchange presents and honor the humble, noble salad.
And rightfully so. It’s healthy, delicious and …
… OK OK all right. So it’s not that delicious. It’s not what most of us crave when we sit down to chow down.
(Shoutout to refined carbs.)
The heart wants what the heart wants, yes. But ask yourself: If a salad isn’t appetizing, is it really your problem? It’s probably the salad’s fault.
Is it wearing a top-shelf (homemade) dressing? Is it sporting fresh, in-season ingredients? Is that salad bringing its A-game?
In this, the 25th-annual National Salad Month, it is your duty as a proud American to do your part, to ensure that a salad brings more than boring nutritious whatever. It’s about bringing the flavor, and a quality salad dressing has plenty of it.
Here are some uncommon dressing recipes to try out as temperatures rise.
But first: A gallery of in-season vegetables to grab when you’re out shopping.
Choice salad dressing recipes
The Vinaigrette: Basic and beyond.
The foundation of a good dressing is a quality oil and quality acid (i.e., vinegar, lemon juice). Added seasonings elevate it from good to great.
Food.com offers a guide to building that foundation, as well as seven ways to build upon it.
The 8th vinaigrette: Sesame, rice and The Truth
Vinaigrette is wonderful because despite its simplicity, it has endless variations. For instance, try this sesame vinaigrette, a terrific option that might be the only dressing you’ll ever want: It can be savory, tangy, salty and even spicy, depending on how you adjust the ratios.
- ~1 part sesame oil (preferably toasted)
- ~1 part rice vinegar
- ~1 part Bragg Liquid Aminos (preferred) or soy sauce
- Liberal amounts of ground black pepper (red pepper flakes work, too)
Shake it up in a jar for a few seconds and go to town.
Coconut milk ranch dressing
Just because some people can’t eat dairy doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy dairy. It’s not easy to give up something as delicious as ranch dressing; it’s divine on greens, raw veggies and buffalo wings.
Check out this buttermilk-free recipe for ranch that uses coconut milk. Assembling this recipe is a little more involved than a simple vinaigrette, but it’s worth it.
(Vegan option: Substitute Vegenaise for the mayo.)
Ginger-miso tofu dressing
Indeed, creamy doesn’t have to mean whole milk. With this ginger-miso tofu dressing, Silken tofu adds a — well, silky texture. White miso’s savory, sweet complexity forms the base of the flavor profile — and we promise that’s the last time we use the phrase “flavor profile” in this article.
One could try to substitute a red miso or brown rice miso, but this hasn’t been attempted to the best of our knowledge and could result in tragedy. Experiment at your own risk.
Cashew dressing
Thai peanut dressing is awesome. Cashews are awesome. Why not mix up some synergy?
Minimalist Baker’s instructions for a Thai kale salad includes a nice recipe for a cashew dressing that uses some maple syrup to accentuate the cashew’s natural sweetness.
If that sounds much too sweet to you (as we’re not talking about topping a dessert here), add some edge with chili garlic sauce or red pepper flakes.
Warm bacon dressing
Pour out some bacon grease for the late “Mr. Food.”
Instead of olive oil, TV’s Art Ginsburg went the full “Oooh it’s so good” here with a recipe that requires a pound of bacon.
(Hey, at least it’s dairy-free.)
This stuff allegedly goes “over almost any vegetables,” but it sounds particularly promising over potatoes.
Tangy tomato dressing
To paraphrase the late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, I can’t really define “zesty,” but I know it when I taste it. This tomato-based dressing is rich in “Vitamin Z,” and it works well with pasta as well as greens.
It’s also light and relatively easy to put together. Seasoning is as simple as adding an envelope of Italian dressing mix.
Two-minute creamy dressing
Dressings that taste delicious are good; delicious dressings that don’t require much prep are better.
This simple recipe gets a fair amount of mileage from mustard and champagne vinegar.
