Want to know how you’ll devour a whole platter of lettuce by yourself? Just drizzle it with an intense, Creamy Sesame Sauce. This is a copycat of a lettuce salad at an authentic Sichuan restaurant called “Spicy Joint” in Sydney that I’m completely mad for!

Welcome to Day 8 of the inaugural Holiday Salad Marathon, where I’m sharing 30 salads in a row through to Christmas Eve – just for something different to the usual sugar-loaded baking countdowns!!

I’ve got a rather unique salad for you today! A SICHUAN one (but no, it’s not spicy, it’s to cool your mouth between fiery mains!):

Creamy Sesame Sauce Lettuce Salad

We (the RecipeTin Family) believe this salad and sauce originates from around the Sichuan and Chongqing areas of China (if any readers can confirm that’d be great!) It’s popped up on the menus of some of our favourite Sydney Sichuan restaurants like Spicy Joint (it’s actually a popular chain restaurant from China, so you know it’s legit!), and Chongqing Street Noodle.

And ever since we’ve tried it, we’ve been dying to replicate the recipe because it is insanely addictive.

A little salty, a little sweet, and packed with intense sesame flavour, this sauce – and it’s really more of a sauce than a dressing in consistency – punches well, well, well above its weight for such a short list of basic ingredients. One mouthful and you’ll be forever hooked!

You need this sauce in your life. Trust me.

Creamy Sesame Sauce (Chinese/Sichuan)

Here’s what you need to make the sauce:

• Chinese Sesame Paste – This is ground sesame paste, and essentially a Chinese version of tahini. It’s a common pantry staple in Sichuan cuisine (eg. used in Dan Dan Noodles). It’s darker in colour and has a deeper, more intense flavour because the seeds are roasted, unlike tahini. You’ll find it in Asian stores, and it’s even cheaper than tahini! Sub: Tahini, of course. TIP: Like tahini, the oil separates from the paste when it’s sitting in the pantry, so give it a good stir before using. I find a chopstick or butter knife works better than a spoon.

• Peanut butter (smooth) – Natural, pure peanut butter is best here, for the most intense peanut flavour. But any regular smooth peanut butter spread will do just fine. It’s more a background player in this sauce; sesame is the dominant flavour;

• Sesame oil – Toasted, which is brown and has a stronger sesame flavour, rather than untoasted (which is yellow, lighter sesame flavour);

• Oyster sauce – For a hit of umami, this is what gives the sauce depth of flavour despite the few ingredients called for!

• Dark soy – For darkening the sauce a tad and adding a touch of seasoning;

• Sugar and salt – This sauce should have a specific sweet and savoury flavour profile. It’s quite intense because the idea is that you use small amounts drizzled over the lettuce (too much and the salad will be overly rich and cloying);

• Water – For thinning the sauce.

As for the making part? Just mix together until it comes together, and use water to adjust so it becomes “drizzle-able”.

My sauce looks split … help!

When it first comes together and is thick, before you add enough water, it can look like it’s split. However, the thinner it gets, the more it comes together and the more stable it is. But this sauce does split again if it’s sitting around for a long time. Just give it a good mix to make it creamy again.

How to serve this Creamy Sesame Sauce

I have been known to eat an entire platter of raw vegetables, just dipped in the sauce. It’s just ridiculously good!

And you don’t even need to dunk vegetables in completely – though out of the gate, I’m always greedy and I use way too much. It’s intensely flavoured and quite rich, so actually, you only need a bit for each piece.

Which brings me to the proper way to serve this sauce – drizzled over a Chinese Lettuce Salad. Normally this means simply piling a platter with crispy small lettuce leaves. Traditionally the lettuce used are the leaves of a Chinese vegetable called youmaicai (yo-MAI-TSAI), also known as celtuce in English. It has good crispy crunch and is slightly nutty, and goes exceptionally well with this dressing.

I used baby cos (aka Romaine) lettuce as I feel it has similar texture, ie. crispy, juicy and crunchy. Full size cos or iceberg lettuce cut or torn will also work fine.

One final important note: The quantity of sauce this recipe makes is twice the amount you’ll need for the quantity of lettuce listed. Use the rest as a dip like suggested, or just keep it for another salad (it will last a long time in the fridge, as it contains no fresh ingredients).

Try it. Especially if you’ve made my Dan Dan Noodles, you’ll already have the Chinese Sesame Paste! – Nagi x

What is the Holiday Salad Marathon?

This is my inaugural Christmas recipe countdown where I am sharing 30 salad recipes in a row until Christmas Eve – something completely different to people’s usual baking countdowns!

These salads are in addition to my regular 3 new recipes a week. Because aren’t you bored of the usual tomato-cucumber-lettuce garden salad routine??

Click here to see all the Holiday Salad Marathon recipes to date, or sign up for instant updates and you’ll receive a free email alert whenever I publish a new salad! 🙂

Print

Spicy Joint’s Creamy Sesame Sauce with Lettuce Salad

A little salty, a little sweet, and packed with sesame flavour, this sauce – and it’s really more of a sauce than a dressing in consistency – punches well, well, well above its weight for such a short list of basic ingredients. One mouthful and you’ll be forever hooked!

Drizzle over lettuce, as is traditional, or just use for dunking raw vegetables (I do this a LOT). This is a copycat of a side salad at some of our favourite Sydney Sichuan restaurants like Spicy Joint, and Chongqing Noodles.

Course Side Salad

Cuisine Chinese, Sichuan

Keyword Chinese salad, creamy sesame sauce, lettuce salad

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Calories 210cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Creamy Sesame Sauce:

• 2 tbsp Chinese sesame paste (Note 1)
• 1/2 tbsp peanut butter (Note 2)
• 1/2 tsp white sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (Note 3)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil , toasted (ie brown, not yellow)
• 1/4 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 4)
• 3-4 tbsp water (or more)

Lettuce Salad:

• 2 baby cos lettuce or for authentic, equivalent amount of Chinese lettuce (celtuce) , trimmed (Note 5 for subs)
• sesame seeds for garnish (black, ideally for the colour, but white or roasted are fine)

Instructions

• Separate, wash, trim and dry lettuce leaves. Slice any large ones in half vertically. Leave smaller leaves whole.
• Sauce: Mix all ingredients except water together in a bowl. Start by mixing in 3 tbsp water, a tablespoon at a time. Let the sauce sit for one minute. If the sauce starts to split, or the sauce is too thick, add another tablespoon of water. Keep doing this until you have a pourable / drizzle-able sauce that is emulsified (ie. oil is not separated).
• Arrange leaves on platter, drizzle around half of the dressing over or so. You will NOT need all the dressing; keep the rest for something else. Garnish with sesame seeds. (Alternative: just use to dip in raw veg. It is SO good!)

Notes

1. Chinese Sesame Paste or Sauce – Sold in Asian stores, it has a consistency like honey and tastes like tahini (ie used in Hummus). However the seeds are roasted so it has a smoky, more intense flavour and slightly darker colour. Sub 2.5 tbsp tahini.

2. Peanut butter – Natural is best (ie no added sugar or salt) for most intense peanut butter flavour. But it’s a background flavour here, so even normal spread is fine.

3. Oyster sauce – adds savoury depth of flavour, can sub with vegetarian Oyster Sauce.

4. Dark soy sauce – more intense colour than light soy or all purpose soy, makes the sauce colour darker plus adds flavour. Sub other soy sauce (but note sauce colour won’t be as dark). More on different soy sauces here.

5. Lettuce – Of course, the real deal is best if you can find  the traditional youmaicai / celtuce. Otherwise substitute any crunchy, juicy lettuces like baby cos/Romaine (as I’ve used), full size cos, or iceberg lettuce.

6. Storage – This sauce will keep for weeks – possibly months – in the fridge, given there are no fresh ingredients. Bring to room temperature before using, as it will firm up when cold.

7. Nutrition – Calculated on assumption that you only use half the dressing as directed.

Nutrition

Calories: 210cal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 622mg | Potassium: 533mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 16375IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 2mg

Life of Dozer

Currently – post swim dry off:

The post Spicy Joint’s Creamy Sesame Sauce Lettuce Salad appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Creamy Avocado Dressing is what you make when you want a creamy salad dressing without the guilt of mayonnaise or tons of oil! Like a cross between pourable Guacamole and Avocado Dipping Sauce, this healthy creamy dressing works with leafy greens or sturdier vegetables like green beans (pictured).

Creamy Avocado Dressing

This is a dressing that uses avocado to make it creamy, rather than mayonnaise or loads of oil. It doesn’t taste very avocado-ey because avocados are dense so it needs to be thinned out to make it pourable as a dressing.

Rather, think of the avocado as a better-for-you means to get a creamy dressing fix!

Excellent use for avocados that are a bit overripe or with brown spotty bits that don’t look appealing enough to use in salads. Use it as dressing for all your favourite salads – it’s particularly good salads that call for Ranch, Caesar or other mayo-rich dressings.

What you need

Here’s what you need for this creamy, healthy avocado dressing:

• Avocado – one that’s ripe and creamy!

• Yogurt (or sour cream) – for an extra hit of creamy (without the guilt of mayo) plus tang;

• Lemon juice – the tang;

• Extra virgin olive oil – to add some richness to the Dressing. Without it, it’s a bit too “watery”;

• Garlic – flavour!

• Water – to thin the dressing. Avocado is very dense! It actually needs quite a bit of thinning to make it pourable – about 6 tablespoons of water for half an avocado.

Flavouring Options

The plain dressing is delicious as is, and also a great base to add flavour. Here are some suggestions:

• Ranch – add 1/4 tsp EACH dried dill, parsley, chives, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, plus 1/2 tsp white sugar

• Mexican / South Western – use lime instead of lemon, add 1/4 cup coriander/cilantro leaves, 1.5 tbsp chopped red onion, 1/4 tsp cumin powder

• Fresh herbs – 1/4 cup chopped parsley, dill, coriander/cilantro, chives (any combo you choose)

• Coriander/dill – 1.5 tbsp each coriander and cilantro (wonderful flavour combo)

• Extra lemony – add the zest of 1 lemon

• Greek – add 2 tsp dried oregano and a squeeze of extra lemon (use for Greek Salad!)

• Italian – add 1.5 tsp mixed dried Italian herbs (or use a combo of parsley, oregano, red pepper, basil)

• Dried herbs – use 1.5 tsp dried herb mix of choice

How to make Creamy Avocado Dressing

Here’s how it’s made – plonk and blitz!

I use my Nutribullet for dressings and small batch things I blitz. One of the best value kitchen investments I’ve made. (Truth be told, I got it to make cocktails…. but now I use it practically every day for smoothies, pesto, curry pastes, dressings. So much easier to clean than blenders and food processors!)

Best Salads for Creamy Avocado Dressing

Use this Avocado Dressing for anything you’d dress with a creamy dressing – like Ranch, Caesar, creamy mayo dressings like used for Coleslaw. So – fresh leafy salads, cold cooked vegetables (I can’t imagine it with hot vegetables – someone could prove me wrong?), juicy fresh vegetables like tomato and cucumber are ideal.

It’s pictured above in a Green Bean Avocado Saladwhich is a copycat of a salad sold at an Aussie charcoal chicken chain called Chargrill Charlie’s. It was a reader request – they love it, but it’s darn pricey ($7 for a small tub!), and given they have a store in my suburb, I just popped in to get a sample, then copied it.

And it didn’t cost much more than $7 to make a giant bowl of this!! MUCH cheaper than buying it! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Print

Creamy Avocado Dressing

Recipe video above. This is a dressing that uses avocado to make it creamy, rather than mayonnaise or loads of oil. It doesn't taste very avocado-ey because avocados are dense so it needs to be thinned out to make it pourable as a dressing. Rather, think of the avocado as the better-for-you means to get a creamy dressing fix!

Excellent use for avocados that are a bit overripe or with brown spotty bits. Use as dressing for all your favourite salads. Particularly good salads that call for Ranch, Caesar or other mayo-rich dressings.

Makes 1 1/4 cups - enough for a side salad for 6 to 8 (depending on how much you use!)

Course Side Salad

Cuisine Western

Keyword avocado recipe, Avocado salad dressing, healthy creamy dressing

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 71cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Creamy Avocado Dressing:

• 1/2 cup ripe avocado (smush into cup to measure, or estimate - 1/2 medium avo)
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp sour cream or yogurt (Greek or plain, unsweetened) - OPTIONAL (Note 1)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, small , minced using garlic crusher (Note 2)
• 4 tbsp water (to thin out, it's very rich!)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

EXTRA FLAVOURING OPTIONS:

• See Note 3

Instructions

• Place all ingredients into a Nutribullet or small food processor and blitz until smooth. (Inc Extra Flavouring Options)
• Use water to thin to just pourable consistency (so it's not super gloopy and thick).
• Taste and add the following to taste: salt, pepper, lemon, oil. Use as salad dressing!
• Keeps 3 days in the fridge without going brown. See Note 3 for how to keep even longer!

Notes

1. Sour cream or yogurt - adds bit of fresh creaminess to this dressing. Still very tasty without. 

2. Garlic - best to use a garlic crusher because it makes the minced garlic "juicy" which is perfect for dressings (rather than minced using a knife - garlic pieces are dry - this is perfect for high heat cooking like stir fries).

3. Flavouring options:

• Mexican / South Western - use lime instead of lemon, add 1/4 cup coriander/cilantro leaves, 1.5 tbsp chopped red onion, 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• Fresh herbs - 1/4 cup chopped parsley, dill, coriander/cilantro, chives (any combo you choose)
• Coriander/dill - 1.5 tbsp each coriander and cilantro (wonderful flavour combo)
• Ranch - add 1/4 tsp EACH dried dill, parsley, chives, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, plus 1/2 tsp white sugar
• Extra lemony - add the zest of 1 lemon
• Greek - add 2 tsp dried oregano and a squeeze of extra lemon (use for Greek Salad!)
• Italian - add 1.5 tsp mixed dried Italian herbs (or use a combo of parsley, oregano, red pepper, basil)
• Dried herbs - use 1.5 tsp dried herb mix of choice

4. Storage - keeps for 3 days in the fridge, won't go brown. (Only reason I wouldn't keep for longer is the fresh garlic in the dressing - if you exclude or sub with 1/4 tsp dried garlic powder, it should be good for up to 5 days).

5. Nutrition per serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 71cal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 52mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 42IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

Life of Dozer

Helping me choose flowers for a friend at Aqua Rosa, a local florist. 💐💐 I love how dog friendly my area is!

The post Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Here’s my master salad dressing that I use as a base for every salad! You just need 1 tbsp vinegar, 3 tbsp oil and 1/2 tsp mustard. Finish with salt and pepper, or choose from any number of flavourings – garlic, fresh or dried herbs, pinch of spice, touch of honey.

USE FOR big leafy salads, chopped salads, to add flavour to beans and lentils, and infuse boiled, steamed and roasted vegetables with flavour – they suck up the dressing when hot!

Salad Dressing

This is my recipe for a basic salad dressing that I use virtually everyday – either as it is, or as a base to add other flavourings as listed in the recipe.

1 tablespoon vinegar + 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard + 1/2 each salt and pepper

This will dress any salad for 4 people.

• Vinegar – my favourite is apple cider vinegar (also labelled just cider vinegar) and lemon juice. They are both less sharp than plain white vinegar, but more tangy than white wine vinegar – perfect balance. BUT you can make this with any vinegar at all.

• Extra virgin olive oil – the better the oil, the better the flavour of the dressing. If you make this with a flavourless oil (like peanut, vegetable, canola) then just add one of the Flavourings listed – garlic is my go to!

• Dijon Mustard – this is optional but I pretty much always add a touch because it thickens the dressing a bit more which makes it coat the lettuce better.

TWEAK THE TANG

Use the recipe below as your master, then just tweak as follows to your taste – remember, different vinegars have different levels of sharpness:

• too tangy – add more oil or a touch of sugar or honey;

• not tangy enough – add more vinegar

SALAD DRESSING is for more than just leafy salads!

Use this dressing for any salad – leafy greens, garden salads, chopped salads. It makes enough to serve 4.

It’s also terrific used to make otherwise bland steamed or boiled vegetables tastier. Toss while hot and they will suck up the flavour! Same goes for roasted vegetables.

Enjoy! – Nagi x

Print

Salad Dressing

This is my everyday salad dressing "formula". This recipe makes just over 1/4 cup of dressing as is enough to dress a large leafy salad for 4 people - you just want the lettuce to be lightly coated, not drowning. The trick is to make this in a jar so you can shake it really well, which will make the oil and vinegar emulsify, meaning they mix together and thicken so they will coat your salad nicely.

Course Side Salad

Cuisine Western

Keyword salad dressing

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 94cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp any vinegar or lemon juice (my favourite is cider vinegar) (Note 1)
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or other neutral oil
• 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard (or other non spicy smooth mustard)
• 1/2 tsp EACH salt and pepper

Optional Flavourings - choose:

• 1/2 - 1 small garlic clove* , pressed through crusher or smashed (Note 2)
• 1 tsp lemon zest*
• 1/4 tsp sugar (Note 3)
• 1 tsp honey (Note 3)
• Finely chopped fresh herbs
• 1/2 tsp dried herbs*
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Place Dressing ingredients and Optional Flavourings in a jar and shake well until mustard dissolves.
• Makes enough for a big leafy salad for 4 people (4 big handfuls of lettuce), or garden salad.
• Storage: Excluding garlic and fresh herbs, Dressing will keep for weeks in the fridge - just give it a good shake before using. Big batch - click servings and slide.
• Use to dress any fresh salad (make sure leaves are dry otherwise it won't stick) or steamed, boiled or roasted vegetables (douse while hot so it absorbs!). Drizzle and toss well just before serving.

Notes

* These are my favourite flavourings that I use most frequently. Though when I use good extra virgin olive oils, I tend to leave the dressing plain to let the flavour of the oil shine through.

1. Vinegars - the ratio of vinegar to oil used in this dressing is standard so you can really use any vinegar at all, including but not limited to:

• Apple cider vinegar (my most used)
• White wine vinegar (2nd most used, use a touch more as it's milder)
• Balsamic
• Red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar
• Plain white vinegar (most sharp, so you may need touch more oil)
• Rice wine vinegar

2. Garlic - Either press 1/2 a clove through a crusher and add into jar. OR burst it open by smashing with side of knife or similar, then leave in dressing for 20 min or so for a lovely garlic "perfume" (restaurants do this because they prefer not to have garlic "bits" in the dressing).

3. Sugar and honey can take the sharp edge off dressings without using more oil. Don't use BOTH, use one!

4. Fresh herbs - amount required depends on what you use. Use more of subtle herbs (parsley, dill, chives) and less of stronger tasting ones (sage, thyme, rosemary).

5. Dried herbs - I like using oregano (very Greek!) or thyme, or combo of both. Or mixed dried herbs.

6. BIG batch - scale it up and keep it for weeks in the fridge, just give it a good shake before using. BUT just be mindful of shelf life if you add fresh garlic (3 days) or herbs (will go brown in a few days).

Nutrition

Calories: 94cal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 160mg | Sugar: 1g | Iron: 1mg

Life of Dozer

He eyes off the salad like it’s a big juicy steak, then REJECTS it!! 🙄

The post Everyday Salad Dressing appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Five creamy Yogurt Salad Dressings made with NO MAYONNAISE! These healthier creamy salad dressings taste so good, you might ditch that jar of mayo for good.

Choose from an all purpose Lemon Yogurt Dressing, a No Mayo Potato Salad Dressing, a flavour packed healthier Yogurt Caesar Salad Dressing, Yogurt Ranch Dressing AND a wickedly creamy oil-free Honey Mustard Dressing! Brought to you in partnership with Farmers Union Greek-style Yogurt.

Today, I’m sharing my favourite Yogurt Salad Dressing recipes that I use in place of popular mayo based salad dressings.

There will always be occasions that call for a grand classic Potato Salad or everyone’s favourite Coleslaw, in all it’s mayo-loaded glory! But in these parts, especially with my group of friends, non-mayo salad options are in high demand.

So over the years, I’ve built up an arsenal of creamy yogurt based salad dressings and it’s high time I shared. Here’s my top 5:

1. Creamy Lemon Yogurt Salad Dressing – all purpose beauty!
2. Yogurt Potato Salad Dressing – I love the little pops of mustard seeds in this.
3. Oil Free Honey Mustard Dressing – take my favourite Honey Mustard Dressing and switch all the oil with yogurt = same creamy lusciousness with less guilt!
4. Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing – another all purpose beauty (because I use this on everything).
5. Healthier Yogurt Caesar Dressing – this packs a serious flavour punch, just like the classic Caesar Salad Dressing.

The essential base ingredient for all these dressings is THIS – a good thick Greek yogurt. My choice: Farmers Union Greek-Style Yogurt. Always has been, for as long as I can remember.

Here’s a rundown on each of the dressings and what to use them for.

1. Creamy Lemon Yogurt Salad Dressing (The All Rounder)

This is my all purpose yogurt dressing, the one I use for any salad whether it’s a simple garden salad, a full loaded chicken salad, a pasta salad (like classic Macaroni Salad), Creamy Broccoli Salad or Coleslaw. It’s made with Greek yogurt, olive oil, garlic, and a nice hit of freshness from lemon.

2. Healthier Yogurt Potato Salad Dressing

A fabulously creamy, flavour loaded potato salad dressing made without mayonnaise IS possible! Made with Greek yogurt, a good dose of both Dijon and wholegrain mustard, plus a nice hit of fresh herbs, any potato salad tossed with this Yogurt Potato Salad Dressing is terrific on the day but is even BETTER the next day…. Just use this Potato Salad recipe and switch the dressing for this one!

3. Oil-Free Honey Mustard Dressing

The classic Honey Mustard Dressing is made with equal parts honey, mustard, vinegar and oil. When you give it a big shake, the oil emulsifies with the other ingredients so you end up with a beautiful creamy dressing.

In this healthier version, the oil is switched for yogurt. It’s just as creamy and luscious and indulgent tasting, with far lower calories. It’s a winner!

4. Healthier Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing

A healthier version of America’s most popular salad dressing! Usually made with mayonnaise and buttermilk, this healthier Ranch Dressing is made with Greek Yogurt and olive oil, plus a good dose of Ranch Dressing seasonings.

Ranch Dressing is so good, I use it as an all purpose dressing for anything that usually calls for a creamy dressing, from garden salads to pasta salads and corn salad.

But my favourite is to use it for what I call a SouthWest Salad, pictured below. Lettuce, cherry tomatoes, corn, black beans, red onion, optional chicken and bacon, drizzled with this Yogurt Ranch Dressing. It’s so good!!

5. Healthier Yogurt Caesar Dressing

If you have it in your head that yogurt dressings are bland, try this healthier Yogurt Caesar Salad Dressing. It will knock your socks off! It’s SO GOOD it really makes me question why I should ever make the mayo version again! Use this classic Caesar Salad recipe (optional chicken) with this healthier Yogurt Caesar Dressing.

THESE ARE VERY, VERY GOOD

“Healthy” has a bad reputation for meaning “bland”. There’s no denying that when you strip fat out of salad dressings, you lose a certain element of creaminess on your palette as you munch through a pile of crunchy greens.

But by using a good, thick yogurt in place of mayonnaise and adjusting seasonings to compensate for the loss of fat in the dressings, you can still make very, very good creamy dressings that you can use generously on your salads. I use these dressings far more frequently in day to day life than I do mayonnaise based ones.

I’d really love to know what you think if you try any of them! – Nagi x

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

Print

Healthier Creamy Yogurt Salad Dressings

Recipe video above. Here's 5 very, very good creamy dressings made with yogurt instead of mayonnaise. All the flavour of their traditional mayo-based counterparts, but less fat and better for you! You might ditch that jar of mayo for good!

Course Salad Dressing

Keyword Yogurt Salad Dressings

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Creamy Lemon Yogurt Salad Dressing:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt , preferably Greek
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp garlic , minced
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Yogurt Ranch Dressing:

• 1 cup plain yogurt , preferably Greek
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small garlic clove , minced
• 1/4 tsp EACH dried dill, parsley, chives, garlic powder, black pepper
• 1/2 tsp EACH onion powder, mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

Yogurt Potato Salad Dressing:

• 1 cup plain yogurt , preferably Greek
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh chives , finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder, onion powder

Oil-Free Honey Mustard Dressing:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt , preferably Greek
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp EACH garlic powder, salt and pepper

Yogurt Caesar Salad Dressing:

• 1 cup plain yogurt , preferably Greek
• 1/2 garlic clove , minced
• 2 anchovy fillets or 3/4 tsp Anchovy paste (Note 2)
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 2 - 4 tbsp milk (adjust consistency)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Black pepper

Instructions

All Dressings except Caesar:

• Mix ingredients in a bowl. Set aside for 30 minutes+ to allow flavours to develop.
• Use milk to adjust to desired consistency. 

Caesar Salad Dressing:

• Blitz in a food processor until smooth. Use milk to adjust consistency.

Notes

Suggestions for Use:

1. Creamy Lemon Dressing: Great all rounder, use for leafy greens, garden salads, Coleslaw, Macaroni Salad.
2. Ranch: Great all rounder, use for leafy greens, garden salads, SouthWest Salad (Note 3), Creamy Broccoli Salad, Macaroni Salad, drizzle over iceberg wedges.
3. Potato Salad Dressing: For potato salad.
4. Honey Mustard Dressing: Use for leafy greens, garden salads, a chicken saladlike this one, would also be great with this Roast Sweet Potato Salad.
5. Caesar Salad: For Caesar salad - chicken is optional. Also terrific to dipping in crisp lettuce leaves and vegetable sticks. Would also be terrific on this Mexican Corn Salad.

Recipe Notes:
1. Yogurt - I use Farmers Union Greek-style Yogurt (available widely in Australia). Plain yogurt will work fine too. Just ensure it's a good thick one. Low fat will also work but cut back on the sour (vinegar) in the dressings (as low fat yogurt is more sour than full fat)

2. Anchovy fillets are key to achieve a true restaurant quality flavour for Caesar Salad. You can't taste it, it's the salt for the dressing. Use the dark brown anchovy fillets in oil , not the white anchovy fillets that are brined in vinegar, not oil.

Substitutions: If you really prefer not to use anchovies, 1 tsp of fish sauce will be an adequate substitute. If you're allergic to fish, use 1 tsp light or all purpose soy sauce.

3. Storage - These dressings keep for 3 days in the fridge, best to take them out 30 minutes prior to using.

LIFE OF DOZER

He spends a lot of time doing this.

I spend a lot of time vacuuming that darn rug. It fills my entire Dyson, every time!!

PS Yes, his Modesty Daisy will always be present when he’s splaying it all out like that. 😂

Today’s recipe is brought to you courtesy of Farmers Union. I’ve used their Greek style natural yogurt for as long as I can remember. So it was a no brainer when they asked if I’d create a recipe for them!!

The post 5 Healthier, Creamy Yogurt Salad Dressings appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.