Dipping Oil with toasted garlic, rosemary and balsamic vinegar

I’ve always enjoyed dipping oils in restaurants but had never tried my own version.  This was very good; I gently toasted the garlic to bring out a more flavor and used some fresh rosemary too. We had this with a crusty baguette and some fresh steamed broccoli.  I actually dipped some of the broccoli in too and it was oh so delicious!

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbs rice vinegar

Heat small skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and 1 Tbs olive oil.  Cook until garlic is very lightly toasted; add rosemary, remove from heat, then stir in remaining oil and the rest of the ingredients.  Serve with bread for dipping.

Enjoy ~ Kimberly

Fresh Basil Italian Pasta Salad

I do hope no one is getting sick of my fresh basil posts.  My herbs are growing like crazy (despite this dry, dry weather we are having) so I am trying out new things all of the time.  I seem to be on a bit of a basil kick, but it is so good!  I am addicted to the purple basil; it’s flavor is full but perfectly sweet.  I try to use a mix of the varieties when I make a recipe so any type will do.  I threw this together with some pasta I had left over from my past couple of recipes, and I couldn’t resist adding a few black olives for that tangy touch.

Fresh Basil Italian Pasta Salad

• 2 – 3 ounces pasta
• 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbs rice vinegar
• 1 Tbs sugar
• 1 tsp fresh basil
• 2 Tbs sliced black olives
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 green onion
• salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Rinse and chill; drain well.  Prep basil by tossing with a little olive oil and slicing into thin strips ~ check out my fresh basil post for an easy technique.  Mix together pasta, olive oil, vinegar, sugar, basil, and olive.  Dice tomato and thinly slice green onion; add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy ~ Kimberly

Strawberry and Cilantro Salad Dressing ~ Fat Free

Ok, so making a fat-free dressing isn’t my first intent but for some reason I am not a huge fan of all the oil that is in a true vinaigrette. While making a raspberry dressing the other day I grabbed my cooking olive oil vs. the extra virgin type; I was so disappointed when I tasted what was starting to be a super combination.  Ergo my oil-less dressing was created.  I often use just balsamic vinegar on my lettuce anyway so no oil just makes sense.  We enjoyed our tossed salad with romaine lettuce, locally grown radishes, tomato, carrot, and mushrooms.  We also added some avocado to our salads; it just seemed like a natural addition with the cilantro and lime.

Strawberry Cilantro Salad Dressing

• 1 cup fresh strawberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vinegar  ~ I used rice vinegar for a milder taste
• 1 tsp cilantro
• 1 Tbs lime juice
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

In blender combine all ingredients. I strained my dressing through a metal sieve.  Some of the seeds still slip through and of course you lose a bit of the pepper and cilantro but it keeps most of the seeds at bay if you are sensitive or just don’t feel like contending with them in your teeth all day!

Enjoy ~ Kimberly

Coleslaw Dressing ~ our favorite slaw dressing recipe and salad dressing base

There is something magical about this ratio of mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar that just works perfectly.  It’s 2 parts mayo to 1 part sugar, 1 part vinegar.  From there your imagination is the only limitation.  Different flavors of vinegar, different additions of herbs and spices.  Even adding fruit such as in my strawberry dressing makes for an amazing flavor profile.  This isn’t my prettiest slaw every.  I tried a new attachment on the Cuisineart Charles found on an auction and it came out a bit fine and I was rushed for time so I didn’t add carrots but I figure you probably know what your favorite slaw type is so fix it your way!

Coleslaw

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup vinegar ~ I used rice vinegar but any flavor works great, even just plain old white vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1/2 head cabbage ~ chopped
• shredded carrots or other add in if desired

Mix mayo, vinegar, and sugar.  Add celery seed and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toss with cabbage and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy ~ Kimberly