salad dressing in a snap

Sportsglutton and I had a fun chicken salad for dinner last night.  Shredded left-over chicken, avocado, grilled corn, grilled mushrooms, and grilled peppers (bell and jalapeno) were all tossed together, but what dressing to use?  How about a tomato dressing? The result was surprisingly good – light, tomatoey, and ready in about 1.5 minutes.  You have got to give this a try because it is sooooooo simple and quick.  It is a little sweet,  a little tangy, and perfectly savory -  perfect for a southwestern style salad or any regular tossed salad too.

 Quick Tomato Dressing

Makes enough for 1 large salad (4+ side servings) or 2 medium salads

• 1/4 c olive oil
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp El Pato Tomato Sauce/Salsa (it is in the little yellow can – check the Mexican isle)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a jar or bowl and shake or whisk vigorously.  Toss with salad and serve.

Makes enough for many salads

• 3/4 c olive oil (approximately – you could use less or more to taste)
• 1 can El Pato Sauce (yellow can)
• juice of 3-4 limes
•  Salt and Pepper to taste

I made this in a pint-sized  jar and adjusted the amount of oil to make a full jar.  If you are making it in a similarly sized jar, add the salsa and lime juice, then top with oil until you reach the top of the jar.  Season with salt and pepper.  Shake vigorously.  If you are not making it in a jar (or are using a larger jar), place all of the ingredients in the bowl and whisk vigorously to combine.

egg salad

Egg salad can provoke powerful reactions from some folks, even for me and I love egg salad.  There is just something about those pre-packaged egg salad (and tuna) sandwiches that turns me from a lover to a hater.  I know from my very core that they just can’t be good, they must be terrible, a travesty really.  Aside from pre-packaged sandwiches though, egg salad can be sooooo good (as is their cousin dish, deviled eggs).

I was chatting with my bff, the cheese lady, yesterday while she conjured up some egg salad sandwiches for an outdoor concert.  Needless to say, I have been craving egg salad ever since.  I started hard boiling the eggs and just realized that I have no bread… Well, I guess I am off to make some bread – check ya laters.

And I am back. The bread is rising and the eggs are cooling off. It is salad making time!

Again, please forgive the poor photograph quality and color - I only have my camera phone at the moment.

Egg Salad

yields: 2-3 sandwiches, depending on how much filling you use

• 4 hard-boiled eggs
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2-3 tbsp mayonnaise
• fresh herbs, chopped (I used a tsp of thyme and chervil combined)
• pinch of salt & pepper ( I usually go a little on the salty side if I am using the salad for sandwiches since the bread will mellow out the salt)
• sprinkle of smoked paprika
• 4-6 bread slices

Peel the eggs and crumble with your hands, chop with a knife, or mash with a fork to a consistency you prefer.

Add the rest of the ingredients (except for the paprika and bread) and fold/stir gently into the eggs.  If you prefer a very blended and creamy egg salad, then mix vigorously.

Sprinkle the top with paprika and serve in a bowl with crackers and veggies, or spread onto the bread, top with lettuce, tomato, bacon, pickles, or nothing at all.  Enjoy!