Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Simple Poppyseed Salad Dressing

Yesterday, I made the most scrumptious salad.  Of course, I didn't think to take a picture of it until it was scattered most unattractively across my plate, so you'll have to use your imagination.  In my opinion, salads should be interesting, colorful, have a contrast of flavors and textures, and be packed with nutrition.  I composed the one yesterday of spring mix and baby spinach, chunks of orange, sliced strawberries, large dices of avocado, crisply fried bacon, slivered almonds candied with a kick of cinnamon and cayenne, and chunks of chicken.  Delicious!  A little sprinkling of blue or feta cheese would have just been the icing on the proverbial cake, but I was limited simply to what I had on hand when I made this creation.

The dressing is something that my little sister made for a family gathering once.  I couldn't remember the exact proportions, and I believe that she added milk to hers, but mine came out great, and with just 4 ingredients, you can't beat the simplicity.  If you're looking to cut calories, use fat free mayo, and if you're really desparate to cut more calories, I *suppose* you could use artificial sweeteners.  I personally hate artificial sweeteners, though, and would be more inclined to try something like stevia instead.  This is a sweet/tangy dressing that works well with the addition of other flavors, such as orange juice or zest.

Simple Poppyseed Salad Dressing

1/2 cup mayonaise (reduced fat is just fine)
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
2-3 T. sugar, to taste
1 T. poppyseeds

Stir all ingredients together and let rest for 30 minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve, then stir again just before serving.

2 comments:

Bethany said...

I made this salad and dressing for my extended Family last night and at first a few were skeptical, one brother decided o put ranch on it (ranch and strawberries don't sound right to me) but after they were all loving it and asking for the recipe!! I didn't add the nuts since we have a few allergies and dislikes, or the chicken since our main course was chicken. It turned out pretty and delicious! One commented how they never thought to put Bacon and Avocado in the same dish as orange and strawberries LOL! Thanks so much!

Nurse Heidi said...

So glad to hear it, Bethany! I love a lot of flavor contrast in my salads, and avocados in particular lend themselves well to being paired with fruits. And we all know that everything with bacon is better :).