Tag: white wine vinegar
Pomegranate and Feta Salad
Pomegranates are festive. They are my favorite fruit- a bit labor intensive to take the seeds out but so worth all the work. For some reason, I can’ get myself to buy the shelled ones in the stores- so I choose to put in the work.
I love the tangy taste but most of all I love the way the seeds look- like tiny jewels.
I decided to incorporate a salad made with pomegranate seeds dressed with a pomegranate vinaigrette. I had a huge bowl filled with pomegranate seeds and a chunk of feta in my fridge. I thought of feta cheese to cut the tang of the pomegranate seeds. For the vinaigrette, I took out my bottle of pomegranate glaze. I mixed in some white wine vinegar a bit of honey and of course some extra virgin olive oil. The flavors were incredible- tangy, sweet and savory.
Definitely a great salad for the big feast..
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Nectarine Salad with Walnut Dressing
This is a simple salad I served for a little get together we were having the other day. I like to keep things simple when people are coming over. I don’t go over board and cook lots of dishes- my philosophy is to focus on a few dishes and make them absolutely delicious.
For this dinner my plan was to make a lasagna and garlic bread. I decided to make a nectarine salad and baked nectarine dessert. If you didn’t guess- I love nectarines.
This salad is super simple- I used mixed greens. I added some walnuts and cut up a nectarine. I had recently purchased a bottle of walnut oil. I used it to make a delicious vinaigrette. I looked in my fridge and found a bottle of mango apricot nectar. I used that in addition to some white wine vinegar. Some salt and pepper and I had a yummy dressing. It was a great start to the meal. It had a great crunch from the walnuts and a burst of sweetness from the nectarines. The walnut oil flavor came through loud and clear and tied all the flavors together.
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Israeli Couscous with Cranberries and Pecans
This is yet another great side dish to serve with any kind of protein. It will go really well with burgers, hot dogs, steaks and fish.
I made it with some grilled chicken. I used the harvest grain blend from Trader Joes which includes a few different grains including Israeli couscous.
I kept it simple with dried cranberries and pecans.
I made a quick orange dressing with fresh orange juice, orange zest, white wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. I mixed the yummy dressing into the cooked couscous blend and I had a delicious and healthy side dish.
My daughter didn’t care for the cranberries and nuts- so I took them out for her and she ate the grains. I made a simple green salad on the side and we had a light and delicious meal.
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Healthy Tuna Salad with Tamarind Vinaigrette
I love tuna salad, especially made with lots of mayonnaise- but then I saw how many calories one tablespoon has- can you guess? A whopping 90 calories!! I just couldn’t get myself to make tuna salad for myself after getting the calories and fat facts.
Since I have been eating the GG crackers, I have been making cold salads for lunch. I thoughts of tuna the other day and felt like eating my usual tuna salad but I knew I couldn’t do it with the usual suspects. So, I took out one of my favorite ingredients- Greek yogurt. I always have the non-fat version in my fridge and I decided to use that as the base. I added Dijon mustard, sweet pickled relish and jalapenos. I love the sweet, salty and spicy combination. I added lots of black pepper and some salt. The idea was to add lots of flavor so I don’t miss the mayo- and I didn’t.
The tuna was delicious, especially with the tamarind vinaigrette drizzled on top of it. I was happy to eat a really healthy yet satisfying lunch.
Next time you are in the mood for tuna salad, give mine a try.
- One (6 oz) tuna can- either packed in water or oil and liquid squeezed out
- ¼ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Dash of hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon chopped pickled jalapenos- optional
- Salt
Add the tuna to a small bowl and add the yogurt, mustard, hot sauce, relish, jalapenos and salt. Mix well and check for seasonings. Keep aside. Enough for two servings.
Prepare to platter with a mix of greens, carrots, etc. Add half of the tuna salad on top and drizzle with tamarind vinaigrette.
Tamarind Vinaigrette
- 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Add the tamarind concentrate, mustard, honey, white wine vinegar and salt in a small bowl. Drizzle the olive oil while whisking the mixture until it is emulsified. Pour on to of the tuna and green salad. Serve with the GG crackers.
Top Ten Vinegars To Have In Your Pantry
I love collecting vinegars. They are relatively inexpensive and last a long time. Well, I guess depends how often you use them. I do end up making salad dressing at home but also have a bunch of store bought salad dressings in my fridge. So, the point of this list is not to make you feel guilty if you don’t make your own dressing. Although it is the most easy thing you could do. It takes all of 5 minutes to whip up a yummy dressing. Especially if you have the necessary ingredients- hence the vinegar list.
I recently bought the muscat orange champagne vinegar from Trader Joes. It is delicious. I made a blood orange salad and used this vinegar and it was unbelievable. I paired it with extra virgin olive oil and a bit of honey. The vinegar is very soft and subtle, yet very flavorful.
I would love to know which vinegars you have in your pantry…
- All purpose white vinegar- it really is an all-purpose vinegar. It can be used for cooking and cleaning. If you ever run out of a particular vinegar- use this one.
- White wine vinegar- delicious in any salad dressing and/or a sauce.
- Balsamic vinegar- I use this for everything, mostly an everyday salad dressing. A bit of balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper – just drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and you are done…
- Rice vinegar- Great for stir fry sauces, etc.
- Red wine vinegar- I consider this an all-purpose vinegar as well. Good have.
- Sherry vinegar- Special vinegar- for spanish dishes and to give a kick to your usual salad dressings.
- Malt vinegar- I used it for some Indian recipes.
- Raspberry vinegar- Same as sherry vinegar. Great to have. This goes fabulously well with walnut oil and makes a great salad dressing.
- Champagne vinegar-Special occasion vinegar- love it.
- Apple Cider vinegar- Any time I add apples to a salad, I use this vinegar to make the salad dressing.