Easy, Kid-Friendly Blueberry Vinaigrette

My kid is working on learning to enjoy eating green salad, because healthy.  So we found a way to use the blueberries that we picked and froze last summer to make a super tasty and very PURPLE salad dressing that makes eating salad fun awesome. You simply blend the 4 ingredients together, using a regular blender or immersion blender, food processor…or any machine that will purée the ingredients into a smooth dressing.

Ingredients

1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, thaw)

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup honey

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients with your blender

2. Strain, if you want.

3. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.  Shake before pouring.

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.

Oh my stars, Pickled Red Onions, I love you. Jump on my food.

Quick and Easy Pickled Red Onions:

You will need:

1 good sized red onion, sliced into super-thin, longish strips

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

1 head of garlic - use as many cloves as you like, from 3 to the whole head.  Peel, crush, and chop the garlic.

1 bay leaf (optional)

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

black pepper (optional)

crushed red pepper (optional)

In a medium saucepan, pour in the vinegar and water.  Add the salt and sugar, black pepper, red pepper, bay leaf, and garlic.  On medium-high heat, stir the mix until the sugar and salt are dissolved.

Add the onion slices and toss everything around lightly.  Keep the heat on medium-high and cook the onion mixture for 3 minutes - no longer than that.  You want the onions to still have a little crunch, but not be raw.  I set a timer to keep myself on track, and also because I am one of those set-the-timer-for-everything people.  It's just my way.  I'm Time Girl,

Stir the onions slightly while they heat up.

Turn off the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the onion/garlic pieces to a clean, dry, pint-sized mason jar.  Then, pour in as much of the spiced vinegar liquid into the jar as will fit to cover the onions.  Leave about 1/2" space from the top of the jar.  (Do not overfill.)  Screw the top on, finger tight.  This is not true canning, by the way - this is just a refrigerator recipe.

There you have it.  The tastiest, tangiest, and sassiest condiment you have ever made yourself.  You can put pickled onions on hot dogs, tofu dogs, hamburgers, bean burgers, sandwiches, potato salad, frito pies, chili, tacos, fish, tuna salad, you name it. Any munchies that need to be gussied up, really.

Here's another magical thing about pickled onions:  You can amend the spices in the vinegar mix any way you like.  You can add pinches of cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds, lemon zest, lime juice...anything you like, and it will still be AMAZEBALLS.  I personally like it peppery but still on the plainish side, because I like to taste the garlic and onions.  But that's me.

Try this on some fish tacos and fall in love.  You're welcome.

Homemade surface cleaner

Not food, but still a recipe!

So easy, so cheap...
Someone passed this idea and recipe to me from Pinterest, and I use it daily.  It cleans dishes, sinks, tubs, showers, hard surfaces, and all kinds of things - simply and for pennies!

Some people don't like the smell of vinegar.  I don't mind it.  It's a gentle, versatile, thrifty, and effective cleanser and cooking ingredient.  Mostly, the vinegar smell wears off after a bit, and all you have is cleanliness.  If you are on a budget, or just want to avoid complicated, crazy, over-chemicaled cleaning products, TRY THIS.

You will need:
Dawn blue dishwashing liquid  (Must be Dawn, must be blue.  Others may work too, but not as well as Dawn)
White vinegar - you could use regular white vinegar in the cooking aisle of your store, or you could use cleaning-grade vinegar.  Both work well.

In a saucepan, heat equal parts of Dawn and vinegar (I use 1 cup/1 cup) over medium-lowish heat for about 2 minutes, until the solution is hot, but not boiling or bubbling over.  Turn off.  Let cool.  Use a funnel and pour it into a spray bottle.  That's it.  It's ready.

*Why heat it up?  The heat emulsifies the mixture and makes it a little more effective, and also keeps it from separating.  Could you make it without heating it?  Yes, but it may not work as well.

* What can this be used for?  Vinegar is great for cleaning all kinds of things.  This mixture is particularly good for soap scum and bathroom surfaces.  I have used it on laundry stains as a pre-treat.  I have cleaned my floors with it.  I've cleaned off my vinyl couches with it.  I've cleaned my counters with it.

WARNING:  I don't know what it would do to marble - so don't use it on that.  (Vinegar and marble don't mix.)