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.

fresh zesty roasted tomato ketchup

This sauce is not as thick as store-bought ketchup and definitely not as sweet.  It is fresh and light, akin to tomato sauce, but perfect for grilled meat – which is why I called it ketchup. 

Fresh Zesty Roasted Tomato Ketchup

• 8-10 roma/plum tomatoes
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp roasted garlic oil or regular olive oil
• salt & pepper

Toss the tomatoes in a little olive oil and roast or grill/smoke whole (see baba ghanoush recipe for more smoking info).

Throw the smoked tomatoes and the remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

Place the mixture in a sauce pan and simmer on low uncovered about 20 minutes.  If you have a splatter screen – use it.  Otherwise, you risk a red polka dot kitchen like mine.

Serve with everything, including Sportsglutton’s Lamb Burgers!