Recipe #6 Ranch Dip or Dressing by Elaina Love, p. 276 and Recipe #7 Winter Salad by John Fielder, p. 77
My daughter, Avery, and I tagged along with my husband while he went to the Emissions Office, fun right? Before I move on to the actual fun part of the day, I just have one question. What is it about men naming their cars after women?
My husband has a Cadillac. I know next to nothing about cars, so please don't ask me what type of Cadillac it is. My best guess would be the purple kind. It's not just his car, it's his Purple Haz, that's "her" nickname, short for Hazel.
He has accused me of not liking his car. I have to admit I do have a bit of misguided animosity surrounding the car. It could be the fact that I drive the sensible Saturn with all the kids' car seats and strollers and crap. I don't know, maybe I am jealous each time he bumps and grinds with Hazel, I'm told she needs new shocks. Truth be told I'm not mad at him, it was just one of those things I could have lived my whole life without knowing. It's a sensitivity issue, I mean come on, I don't let him know that I ride George Clooney everyday.
Okay, I'm done. Back to the fun part, creating today's recipes.
I have been dying to make Elaina Love's Ranch Dip/Dressing with John Fielder's Winter Salad all week, so imagine my disappointment this morning to find no cashews in the cupboard. Hence the event which set into motion the tag-a-long with my husband and his mistress Hazel to Emissions and to Vitamin Cottage.
After all the "Hazel" drama, I was back at home with cashews in hand and I set out to create one of the best salad dressing I have ever smelled and my husband has tasted.
The recipe was super easy to make, it took all of five minutes. I used the apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice and I almost was going to use dried basil but I put forth the effort and minced fresh basil. That was totally worth it. The basil fragrance is killer in this recipe.
I deviated from the instructions a bit, I opted out of pouring the blended cashew mixture in a bowl then adding the herbs. To save a bit of time, I just threw the herbs into the blender and gave a quick pulse, so the mixture would retain it's white ranch coloring.
The bright and colorful Winter Salad was a fun salad to make. I thought the cilantro, basil and lettuce leaves would be greenery over-kill but they meshed really well. My lettuce leaf of choice was Escarole, a type of endive, but not as bitter and sturdy enough to hold the Ranch Dressing.
Here's a bit of something to take away with you. If you are using the same grater (without rinsing in between grates) to grate the vegetables, make sure you grate your carrot and ginger before the beet, so that they maintain their vibrant hues and not turn crimson.