salad dressing — 2012 — The 21st Century Matriarch

Eggy Salad Dressing is an alternative to chopping up hard boiled eggs for a salad. It appeals to be because it spreads the egg all through the salad. I enjoyed this ‘meal in a bowl.’

Hard boil two eggs. Let them cool. Remove off the shells. Place in a small food processor with a little olive oil, vinegar and seasoning. As you can see from the picture on the left, I used raspberry vinegar and basil/garlic seasoning. Alternatively, any vinegar and oil dressing you have on hand could be used. Process until smooth; it will have a smooth, icing-like consistency. Use as a salad dressing. The salad picture on left has frozen peas and corn (thawed) and celery. I added a little salt.

Eggy salad dressing also makes an excellent dip or spread for cucumber slices. Try a basil leaf on top for a burst of flavor from the garden!

Early this year I read an article about chia seeds and decided to give them a try. I was initially motivated by their impressive nutritional properties. Fiber, oil, protein, vitamins and minerals….chia seeds could easily be viewed as a ‘super-food.’ Incorporating at least 1 tablespoon a day, and sometimes 2, into my diet has been surprisingly easy. They form a gel-like slurry in water and can be easily combined with many other foods. Here are the ways I have used them so far:

1 tablespoon of chia seeds in a glass of herbal tea or lemon water (letting it stand for 15 minutes before consuming using a straw to swirl the seeds and slurp). This has become my standard ‘breakfast’ every morning. I thought I might get tired of it but changing the liquid the seeds get hydrated in has provided enough variety.
Using the last bit of creamy salad dressing in the bottle. I added milk to the bottle and shook it to blend the dregs of dressing and milk before pouring both into a small bowl. I added 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds to thicken the dressing and a few sprinkles of Mrs. Dash. After letting it sit for 10 minutes, I stirred in up and used on a salad.
Muffins. I always substitute a tablespoon of chia seeds for a tablespoon of flour. It adds nutrition plus makes any muffin less crumbly.
Stir fry sauce. I like orange juice and zest, fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon chia seeds…with enough herbal tea to make the consistency right as the gel forms (and assuming some liquid will be lost as it is poured over the stir fry in the last segment of cooking).
1 tablespoon chia seeds cooked with 1/4 cup oatmeal for breakfast. I liked this combination so much that I used less sugar than with plain oatmeal and needed no butter at all! It works best to let the seeds, oatmeal, and water sit in the pan for 5 minutes or so before beginning to heat (gives the chia seeds time to start hydrating). Round up on the amount of water if you want a creamy consistency!