Vegetarians don’t have to be limited to
salads; there are a whole range of veggie dishes that you can prepare, from
mushroom risotto to smoked black bean burgers to a simple and delicious
lavender donut. But every now and then, you are going to want a meal that’s
fast and easy to prepare; something you can put together with what you’ve
already got in your pantry. A salad takes less than five minutes to put
together so that you can have a nutritious and meat-free meal in a snap, and it
doesn’t have to be the same old Waldorf salad or chef’s salad either. The
secret to preparing creative and great-tasting salads is in knowing how to
prepare your dressings and vinaigrettes.
Strictly
speaking, the difference between a dressing and a vinaigrette is that a
dressing is pretty
much
prepared to taste while a vinaigrette has to follow strict ratios between oil
and vinegar which is three parts oil to one part vinegar. If you want to prepare
a basic white wine vinaigrette, you only have to measure out three parts of
olive oil (ideally extra virgin) and one part white wine vinegar and whisk them
together until they emulsify and season with salt and pepper. Not too handy
with the whisk? Toss everything into the blender and blend, but this only works
for larger
amounts.
A dressing, on the other hand, doesn’t
need to be measured. You can toss in ingredients as you please and let yourself
be guided by your tongue. A blue cheese dressing only needs mayonnaise, blue
cheese, a bit of sour cream, and a touch of lemon and you can enjoy an amazing
Cobb salad. Are you a stricter vegetarian who doesn’t eat eggs and dairy
products? Then you can use our tofu ‘fake mayo’ instead.
Check out the fake mayo recipe below
along with a few other vinaigrettes and dressings that you can use to get
started. But remember, by knowing the basics of vinaigrette and dressing
preparation, the sky is the limit in preparing salads.
Tofu ‘Fake Mayo’
Ingredients:
Pepper, white Season to taste
To Prepare:
Place all of the ingredients except for
the olive oil in a blender and blend on a low setting. While the ingredients
are blending, pour in the olive oil in a slow and narrow stream until all of
the oil is emulsified in the mixture. You can place the tofu mayo inside a jar
and keep in your fridge.
You can add flavors as you would with
regular mayo by adding other ingredients like chopped chives, garlic, a bit of
Sriracha sauce or some green curry paste. Add tomato ketchup, pickle relish,
finely chopped bell peppers, and a bit of Tabasco for a simple Thousand Island
dressing.
This is an excerpt from the book: The Ultimate Easy to Prepare Vegetarian Recipes Cookbook
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