Creamy Vegetarian Broccoli Salad

Tasty and filling broccoli salad!

Best eaten on the first day when it’s fresh, but still tastes good for an extra day.

Vegetarian. Contains dairy.

Ingredients:

• 1 crown broccoli, cleaned and grated, including the stems (cut off any small brown or dry edges from the stem first, but keep the majority of the stem)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion (purple preferred, but any color is fine)
• 2/3 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese 
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise 
• 1 tsp sugar
• Imitation bacon bits for topping
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the broccoli, onion, cheese, and sunflower seeds.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the sour cream and mayonnaise to make the dressing. Add the sugar, salt, and pepper and mix until it tastes balanced and the sugar is dissolved.

Pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture and gently mix until everything is evenly coated.

Top with imitation bacon bits and serve.

Tasty Creamy Parmesan Dressing (mayo based)

So many prepackaged salad dressings made by the big brands are overloaded with corn syrup, overly strong or sweet flavors and weird things.  Gross.  But here is a very simple, quick, fresh, and inexpensive dressing that tastes great on any green salad or as a dip/sauce.  It has a Caesar Salad type of flavor.  Once prepared, it can last up to 2 weeks in your refrigerator. You'll probably use it up sooner, however.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (freshly grated, if possible but prepackaged is fine)
1/4-1/2 cup lemon juice (start small and add to taste)
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper to your taste

Directions:
Whisk together everything: mayo, Parmesan, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and Tabasco in a medium-sized bowl.
 Add salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate for at least one hour before using.

That's it. 

Food photo created by timolina - www.freepik.com

Bento Box Salad Dressing

It's no secret that I am a complete sucker for teriyaki and yakisoba.  I am on a quest to test out every teriyaki joint in my city.  I think I finally figured out a good approximation of the creamy, mayo-ey salad dressing comes on the fresh green salads that you get with a bento box at teriyaki restaurants.  I crave that taste sometimes - the crispy-fresh, cold, crunchy lettuce with a delightful dressing accenting the top.  YUM.  In restaurants, the dressing ranges from white to off-white, to beige, but it's always slightly tangy, slightly sweet, kind of aromatic, and slightly creamy.  It balances out the other flavors on the tray perfectly.  This is a basic recipe that can be adjusted, depending on your taste, and depending on what you have on hand for your ingredients.

Ingredients

5 TBL mayonnaise (I used regular American mayo, but many recipes use Japanese mayo/Kewpie)
1 TBL seasoned rice vinegar (if you don't have rice vinegar, you can use a mild vinegar like white wine vinegar)
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar, more or less (some recipes suggest 2 tsp, but I prefer it less sweet)
2 tsp sesame oil

If you have sesame seeds, you can add 1-2 TBL of them, or ground them up and add them.

Mix everything in a bowl until the sugar has fully dissolved and it has a creamy, tan-colored salad dressing consistency.  You really shouldn't taste one overwhelming flavor.  It should be a nice balance of all of the ingredients.  But of course, that depends on your own personal preferences.

Some people add a little grated ginger to this recipe. You could also add some fresh black pepper, a teaspoon of fresh, chopped garlic or onion,  It is very customizable.  But start with the basic recipe and go from there.

I eat this on fresh green iceberg lettuce. It is so simple and so good that I don't feel like anything is missing.  Because Lettuce + Dressing = LOVE.

Occasionally I will add some baby carrots.  Some people put this dressing on soba noodles or cole slaw style sliced, raw cabbage. You could definitely use it as a dipping sauce for all sorts of things: steamed vegetables, cold noodles, proteins...there's really no limit.  (*But maybe you shouldn't put it on your breakfast cereal.  I wouldn't pour it on ice cream either.)

I'll tell you what would be awesome.  Dip some perfectly ripe, avocado slices in this dressing. Now you're talking.

Once made, if there's any left over, it should be refrigerated and used within a week.

*This is a vegetarian recipe, made with egg-based mayonnaise.  Vegan mayo could be substituted.