Dressings: Think outside the bottle
With so many bottled dressings lining the supermarket aisles, you'd think we ate salad for every meal.
But there's only so much lettuce in the world. Here are some dressings that stand out to us, with distinct flavors and ingredients you can pronounce.
Each of our favorites inspires dishes beyond romaine and iceberg.
Greek Dressing
Cindy's Kitchen, 16 ounces, $4.99, Whole Foods Market.
Why it's good - A thick oil and vinegar dressing with feta cheese and kalamata olives.
Try it ... in pasta salad, using fusille, diced cucumber, grape tomatoes and (more) kalamata olives.
Passion Fruit-Mango Vinaigrette
Earth & Vine Provisions, 12 ounces, $6.99, at World Market.
Why it's good - A sweet-tart tropical fruit coulis.
Try it ... For dessert. Here's a simple recipe: Blend 2/3 cup mascarpone cheese, 1/3 cup nonfat Greek-style yogurt, 2 tablespoons dressing and sugar to taste. Use the mixture to fill in the dent on thumbprint cookies and top with berries.
Ginger Dressing
Makoto Ginger, 8 ounces, $3.99, in the refrigerated produce section at Safeway Market.
Why it's good - Just like what you'll find in Japanese restaurants.
Try it ... to make a salad of shredded chicken and napa cabbage, julienne red bell pepper, chopped scallions and sprouts.
Blue Cheese Dressing
Litehouse Chunky Bleu Cheese, 13 ounces, $3.49, available in the refrigerated produce section at Safeway Market.
Why it's good - A mellow, creamy dressing with generous chunks of Idaho blue cheese.
Try it ... tossed with boiled new potatoes and string beans and topped with crumbled bacon.
Spiced Pear Vinaigrette
Tulocay's, 15 ounces, $6.99, at World Market.
Why it's good - A lightly spiced fruity blend.
Try it ... as a marinade for grilled pork loin. Serve with additional dressing as sauce on the side.
New, noteworthy for dieters, children
You don't have to be a traveling dieter to appreciate the Tanita KD-400 foldaway travel model scale.
It could help with portion control while you're on the road, and its features also include a weighted stainless steel base, 11-pound weight capacity and tare function.
The fold-up display creates a narrow, vertical footprint that can fit right in on the cookbook shelf. Made by Tanita Corp. of Arlington Heights, Ill. 6 1/2 inches wide, $59.99; order through www.amazon.com.
€ DripCatchers are compressed cellulose sponges that slide onto the stick of a frozen treat, possibly preventing a sticky mess in kids' hands.
Available in various colors and shapes, they can be printed with team or company logos. Dallas mom Kathy Wachtel has a patent pending for her invention.
Order a pack of 24 disks, which are 2 1/4 inches wide ($6.95), from www.leapsandboundscatalog.com or six-packs ($1.99) at www.perfectlysafe.com.
- From wire reports
But there's only so much lettuce in the world. Here are some dressings that stand out to us, with distinct flavors and ingredients you can pronounce.
Each of our favorites inspires dishes beyond romaine and iceberg.
Greek Dressing
Cindy's Kitchen, 16 ounces, $4.99, Whole Foods Market.
Why it's good - A thick oil and vinegar dressing with feta cheese and kalamata olives.
Try it ... in pasta salad, using fusille, diced cucumber, grape tomatoes and (more) kalamata olives.
Passion Fruit-Mango Vinaigrette
Earth & Vine Provisions, 12 ounces, $6.99, at World Market.
Why it's good - A sweet-tart tropical fruit coulis.
Try it ... For dessert. Here's a simple recipe: Blend 2/3 cup mascarpone cheese, 1/3 cup nonfat Greek-style yogurt, 2 tablespoons dressing and sugar to taste. Use the mixture to fill in the dent on thumbprint cookies and top with berries.
Ginger Dressing
Makoto Ginger, 8 ounces, $3.99, in the refrigerated produce section at Safeway Market.
Why it's good - Just like what you'll find in Japanese restaurants.
Try it ... to make a salad of shredded chicken and napa cabbage, julienne red bell pepper, chopped scallions and sprouts.
Blue Cheese Dressing
Litehouse Chunky Bleu Cheese, 13 ounces, $3.49, available in the refrigerated produce section at Safeway Market.
Why it's good - A mellow, creamy dressing with generous chunks of Idaho blue cheese.
Try it ... tossed with boiled new potatoes and string beans and topped with crumbled bacon.
Spiced Pear Vinaigrette
Tulocay's, 15 ounces, $6.99, at World Market.
Why it's good - A lightly spiced fruity blend.
Try it ... as a marinade for grilled pork loin. Serve with additional dressing as sauce on the side.
New, noteworthy for dieters, children
You don't have to be a traveling dieter to appreciate the Tanita KD-400 foldaway travel model scale.
It could help with portion control while you're on the road, and its features also include a weighted stainless steel base, 11-pound weight capacity and tare function.
The fold-up display creates a narrow, vertical footprint that can fit right in on the cookbook shelf. Made by Tanita Corp. of Arlington Heights, Ill. 6 1/2 inches wide, $59.99; order through www.amazon.com.
€ DripCatchers are compressed cellulose sponges that slide onto the stick of a frozen treat, possibly preventing a sticky mess in kids' hands.
Available in various colors and shapes, they can be printed with team or company logos. Dallas mom Kathy Wachtel has a patent pending for her invention.
Order a pack of 24 disks, which are 2 1/4 inches wide ($6.95), from www.leapsandboundscatalog.com or six-packs ($1.99) at www.perfectlysafe.com.
- From wire reports
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