Friday, August 9, 2013

Two Simple Homemade Dressings (Cucumber Yogurt and Creamy Parmesan)


It's truly been wonderful having a back yard filled with some of my favorite herbs; basil, mint, rosemary and dill.  I just walk outside, pick whatever I want, and add it to my marinades, smoothies, and salads.  I wish summer never ended.  I guess I could move to Florida or something, but truth be told, I enjoy the changing of the seasons here in Ohio.  After all, fall is right around the corner and while I will no longer have fresh herbs, soon enough it will be OSU FOOTBALL SEASON!!  I'm giddy with excitement.





Ok, I just got off track.......



As you already know I follow a special diet for IBS-control.  The diet isn't so bad, most of the time, but there are two ingredients that are incredibly difficult to avoid; garlic and onion.  I've looked high and low for a low FODMAPS salad dressing, and while I've found about two, I still prefer making my own.  I found these two recipes not too long ago and both were already low FODMAPs, without me having to make any modifications.  They were both simple, and honestly, delicious.  What I'm saying is, even if you can eat garlic and onion endlessly with no side-effects (lucky duck!) you will still want to print these recipes and save them in your files (or just Pin them, since that's what we do these days).


Cucumber Yogurt Dressing
Slightly modified from a Nutrition Action Health Letter recipe
Makes 8 servings (2 Tbsp/serving)

Ingredients
1/2 cup English cucumber, chopped
1 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbs. chopped fresh dill
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese

Directions
Blend well in a blender, Magic Bullet, Food Processor, etc.  Add 1-serving (~2 Tbsp) to 3-4 cups of lettuce to make a salad, and top with your favorite add-ons.


**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPS diet you will be happy to know that this is low FODMAPs!  Also, if you are following a gluten free diet, be sure to use gluten free oats.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 2 Tbsp.
Source: CalorieCount.com


I poured this dressing over romaine and added pepper, and feta cheese.  Sometimes simple is the way to go.




Next up, my all time favorite (of course, the one with more calories, go figure).



Creamy Parmesan
Slightly modified from a Nutrition Action Healthletter recipe
Makes 8 servings (2 Tbsp/serving)

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped chives
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. sea salt


Directions
Blend well in a blender, Magic Bullet, Food Processor, etc.  Add 1-serving (~2 Tbsp) to 3-4 cups of lettuce to make a salad, and top with your favorite add-ons.

**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPS diet you will be happy to know that this is low FODMAPs!  Also, if you are following a gluten free diet, be sure to use gluten free oats.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 2 Tbsp.
Source: CalorieCount.com


Again, a simple salad with romaine, dressing, and homemade croutons (I basically baked some stale whole grain bread in the oven and sprayed some Tuscan olive oil on top prior to baking).


There you go, two new dressings for your Pinterest board (or recipe files).   I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.


QUESTION:  What's your favorite dressing, of all time?  For me it's balsamic vinaigrette.  But of course, I can never find one without garlic or onion.



Thanks for reading, and enjoy your weekend!

The Candid Rd


12 comments :

  1. Both dressings sound great!

    I like vinaigrettes but change is good once in a while!

    Happy Friday!

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  2. I'm with you, I wish summer would never end. We've had a fantastic summer in Seattle, which doesn't happen too often. That would be rough cooking without onion, but you've done a terrific job making these salad dressings packed with flavor. Lucky to have such a wonder garden of fresh herbs to use!

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  3. i didnt think about using my herbs on dressing but I did add on salads. I love the cucumber one..will have to try sometime soon. hope you have a relaxing weekend friend <3

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  4. we have been on a ceasar salad kick, so i think that parmesan would be perfect! YUM!

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  5. Your herbs look great! I'm with you on the changing of seasons - can't wait for fall! :)

    I like the look of that creamy Parmesan, mmm. My fav dressing is definitely blue cheese - ha! ;)

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  6. I am definitely a fan of having your own herbs right at home! So convenient and you can't be the freshness!

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  7. oh man these sound great! i don't tolerate dairy well AT ALL so it's a shame. usually I'm not so good with garlic/onion but the Tessemaes dont seem to give me issues - except the Lemon Garlic one which literally makes me break out into a rash hhahah - other than that I'm good to go and LOVEEE them!

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  8. btw CAN'T WAIT for you to come to NY!!! you MUST find out where your friend in Brooklyn lives!

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  9. Oooh - these look fantastic! I love homemade dressings and simple summer salads. Hooray for fresh grown herbs!

    This reminds me that I read an article a while back that I keep meaning to share. I immediately thought of you and your blog when I read it! You may have seen it already, but in case you didn't, this is fascinating (if not somewhat disturbing) but ends with a "shout out" to fresh herbs!

    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/opinion/sunday/breeding-the-nutrition-out-of-our-food.html?emc=eta1

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for sharing this Lynn! I read it, and I have to say, no surprises here. Ironically, I read this article last night when you sent it and I was just about to eat some corn. haha, good thing it seemed to be pretty DARK yellow. I guess I chose the right stuff!

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  10. I absolutely love Balsamic too, Gina. Your homemade dressings sound great and look forward to trying. Thanks for sharing.

    -Anthony

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  11. Hi i am over weighted and my family giving me the different salad daily so this type of variety will not bore me to eat thanks for sharing.

    ISO 2338| ISO 2341 | DIN 1444

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