Spicy Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Introduction
When I was a kid, I used to hate salads. They were boring, and they tasted bad. They were not filling, either. My father was the resident Salad Man at any and every potluck, feast, or celebratory event in town. He became known, as one friend put it, as "the Salad King," because "He could make any salad good, even if you didn't like salad or weren't in the mood for salad."
What I remember of my dad's salad when I was a child was that he used bright lettuces and put in a lot of sesame seeds. Later in life, I acquired a taste for salad because one of my friend's mothers made this BOMB salad dressing (pardon my slang). It was so good! I asked my mom to make it, and after that, I was a converted salad-eater forever. I have been eating salad ever since.
Late in my teenage years, and very late in my father's life - mere years before he passed away from skin cancer in 2008 - I started to wonder about my father's art of salad making, in particular his salad dressings. I knew the power of salad dressings by then, you see. My dad was ninety-eight percent raw foodist for the last seven years of his life, so by the time I was about eighteen and he was about fifty-two, he was very expert at salads and dressings. He ate them all the time! Lunch, dinner, midnight snack, you name it, it was most likely salad.
I didn't learn a lot of the wonderful things my father knew, such as natural healing, permanent kind-heartedness, and bizarre jokes, but one thing I did learn is this tasty, simple vinaigrette salad dressing. I want to pass it on.
(That's my dad with his salad bowl above, by the way).
The Salad
This article is about the dressing, not the salad. But in case you're at a loss as to what to put in your salad, here's what I like:
- Dark lettuces and spinach leaves; these are supposed to be very healthy, and they are tasty.
- tomatoes, olives, the basics
- feta cheese
- Or, goat cheese
- Chick peas, commonly known as garbanzo beans
- little red kidney beans
- tofu, crispy
- asparagus, cut into small pieces
- sprouts
- Gomasio (this stuff is sesame seeds and salt, very tasty!)
- You can add fruit, if you want, i.e cherries, blackberries, etc.
New to Salad?
You're new to salad, and you want to know why you should eat that stuff.
It's for rabbits, and why does everyone say it's so healthy?
The following are some links with encouraging statistics on salad:
When to Not Eat Salad
http://www.wisdomsofhealth.com/tag/rabbit-food
You can throw this together in a bowl, cup, measuring cup, or right on top of your salad! If you're throwing it right in with your salad, make sure to mix it in well. Obviously, if you are making this for multiple people, put more of everything! Sadly, I don't have exact measurements for this recipe. My dad just threw in some of everything.
TIPS: You want more olive oil than vinegar, but too much and your dressing will be bland. Add more cayenne if you want more spice. Dill is just a mild herb, so it is not dangerous to put in a lot. Note that caps are different sizes, so if you have giant or tiny caps, put less or more accordingly.
Ingredients
- 1 cap full of olive oil or canola oil
- 1 half cap full of vinegar
- 1 pinch of cayenne
- 2 or 3 dashes of dill
- 1 dash of yellow curry powder
- 1 or 2 pinches of asafoetida
- 2 sprinkles of Gomasio (sesame seeds and salt)
- Seeds of any type you prefer
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a container, and pour onto your salad! Or, alternately, throw onto your salad and mix it all in well with a fork.
Salad Dressings on YouTube
The first video demonstrates a few basic dressing rules you can apply to any dressing, the second a Greek salad dressing, the third is vegan, the fourth is the famous Caesar salad dressing, and the fifth is another vinaigrette dressing.
What do you think of salad? Are you a fan? Do you have any dressings you would like to share? Please tell me what you think of my article, and when you've tried out the dressing, come back and tell me what you think! =)
