Recipes

Easy Homemade Dressings Add Zest to Nature’s Bounty

Posted: 8/18/2012

A “well-dressed” salad starts with canola oil.

(NAPSI)—Enjoying garden-fresh fruits and vegetables can help you look and feel good, especially once you learn how to dress them up as mouthwatering sensations. Making your own dressings is easy and pays off in terms of both taste and nutrition.

“Take advantage of farmers markets and enjoy fresh produce,” says Robin Miller, M.S., host of the Food Network’s “Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller,” who developed the CanolaInfo “Get Dressed for Summer” Recipe Collection. “Homemade salad dressings add so much flavor and can be prepared in minutes.”

The recipe collection showcases the bounty of fresh produce and flavor advantages of homemade dressings. Each recipe can be prepared in just 10 to 15 minutes and is made with canola oil, which has the least saturated fat and most omega-3 fat of all common cooking oils. Recipes include:

• Zucchini, Squash and Grape Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

• Mixed Berry, Cucumber and Mint Salad with Lime Dressing

• Wilted Rainbow Chard with Seared Eggplant and Parsley Vinaigrette

• Fennel-Orange Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

• Caramelized Corn and Red Pepper Salad with Chives

The collection also features:

Spinach Salad with Seared Bok Choy, Ginger and Cilantro

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 bunch bok choy, rinsed well and chopped (4 cups)

1/3 cup chopped whole green onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

In large skillet, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add bok choy, green onions, garlic and ginger and cook 2−3 minutes or until bok choy is tender-crisp. Add soy sauce and pepper, stir to coat and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Arrange spinach leaves on serving platter. Spoon bok choy mixture over spinach and serve.

Yield: 4 servings. Serving size: ⅔ cup bok choy mixture, 1 cup spinach.

The complete collection is available at www.CanolaInfo.org. To find a nearby farmers market, go to http://search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets.