Salad Dressing

I played with two different versions of a salad dressing. The first one was probably too heavy on the vinegar and it contained oil. When poured on salad, the vinegar taste was diminished enough to be quite enjoyable. If I make that particular one again, I’ll cut the amount of vinegar in half and leave out the oil.

The second recipe came from the desire to play with a new acquisition - ginger juice - and an avocado that was at the use it or lose it stage.

Nut Free: Because both the avocado and the cashews add the creamy consistency, the cashews are optional. Cut back on the initial amount of water and then add as needed for the desired consistency.

Ingredients for recipe 1

1 cup ACV

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

2 very small Zucchini

2 yellow Carrots

1 small Avocado

2 tsp chopped Garlic

1/4 yellow Onion

1/2 cup raw, unsalted Cashews

Water to achieve desired consistency

Ingredients for recipe 2

1/2 cup ACV

1 cup Water (more later if needed to achieve desired consistency)

1/2 cup raw, unsalted Cashews

1/2 tsp Salt (I added a little bit more at the end to brighten the flavor)

1/2 tsp Pepper

1 Avocado

1/2 tbl chopped Garlic

2 tbl Ginger Juice (or other desired flavoring)

Put everything in the blender and blend on high until creamy. This may require adding more water to allow the blender to keep going strong. I used the dry container on the Vita-Mix to help get the cashews well macerated. If your blender is not up to macerating nuts, I suggest soaking them in water or ACV to soften them up first.

I’m a big fan of strong flavors. If mild is more your style, cut the amount of ginger juice down to 1 tablespoon. Once this is on salad though, it should lose more of the flavor’s strength. 

This lasts roughly 1 week in the fridge.

Yuca Fries

I’m looking at doing this potato chip style but not sure how it will work out. So far, my research says yuca must be cooked properly or it can kill you. Nice one, yuca. So boil it first and then play around with recipes. Got it.

Here’s an existing recipe that looks really good: https://www.thehealthymaven.com/2015/03/crispy-baked-yuca-fries.html

Onion Rings - Proof of Concept

I’ve been pondering buttermilk and batter, and here’s where my mind went with it…

1/2 cup Rolled Oats

1 1/2 cups Water

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

This works best in a Vita-Mix, using the liquid container. It takes 3 minutes to cook oats in the Vita-Mix on high speed. Adding all of the above to the container, work up to the highest speed.

At the 2 minute mark, add:

1/2 cup Raw, Shelled, Unsalted Sunflower Seeds

1/2 cup Raw, Unsalted Pumpkin Seeds

This will be thick, but still able to spin in the blender. Stop at 3 minutes and empty the mixture into a bowl.

Using a cast iron pan (or other frying pan), add 1/4” of olive oil. Turn on the stove at a low heat. Let the oil get hot.

Disclaimer: I’ve never made onion rings before. Or fried chicken, or anything remotely like this.

Dipping the onion ring into the batter probably works best with a fork or ice pick. I used my fingers.

The first set lost the batter when I turned them. For the second set, I let them cook awhile before attempting to flip them with tongs. The batter stayed on the onion.

Pull out when brown and place on paper towels.

The best ones had the center of the onion - the ratio of onion to batter leaned more towards onion. As a proof of concept attempt, it went well and tasted really good.