dressings and sauces

pasta sauce with tomato, butter, and onion :: by radish*rose

simple pasta sauce with tomato, butter, and onion

radish*rose 0 comment

This is so simple that it seems it couldn’t possibly work. My favorite kind of adventure! How could something with only three ingredients taste so good? (Five if you count the pasta and Parmesan.) But it does! Really, you’ve got to try it for yourself. You can’t beat the convenience – in fact, I bet you have all these ingredients in your pantry right now. Or if you don’t, start keeping them on hand and then you can always make a tasty pasta on short notice. Indeed, I made this on a chilly, rainy summer evening, accompanied by a big green salad and a glass of wine, and it was just the thing. Continue reading

roasted chickpea cauliflower tacos with cilantro garlic yogurt sauce :: by radish*rose

roasted chickpea and cauliflower tacos with cilantro garlic yogurt sauce

radish*rose 0 comment

Healthy vegetarian tacos without cheese! Wait, what? How? Lightly pickled red onions, cilantro garlic yogurt sauce, creamy avocado, and crunchy roasted chickpeas with caramelized cauliflower guarantee these tacos have a lot of texture and flavor without tons of fat and calories. These are extra-approved by my husband! He was thrilled with them. We’ll definitely be making these again soon! Continue reading

radish*rose’s balsamic mustard vinaigrette

radish*rose 3 Comments

Make a lot, use a little!  I make a batch and keep it in a squirt bottle devoted to this purpose, which I drew lines on for the correct proportions every time.  This stays good for several weeks in the fridge… I’m not exactly sure how long, because I have never ever had a batch go bad… it gets used up!  This recipe lasts 2-3 salads in our household, and it’s useful for sandwiches, wraps, or to drizzle over a rice, bean & veg bowl, as well.

If you have leftovers, you will want to remove it from the fridge 15-20 minutes before you want to use it, to allow it to come up to room temperature (olive oil solidifies when chilled).  You can also run the bottle under some warm tap water, if you forgot to take it out.  Shake well and use!

The basic proportion for most salad dressings is two parts oil to one part vinegar.  The mustard serves as an emulsifier to keep the oil & vinegar bound together.  You can use other thick things as an emulsifier, like mayo.  And now that you know this,  you need never ever buy salad dressing again, nor must you fret over strange and unpronounceable ingredients therein.  You’re welcome. Continue reading