Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Lime-Cilantro Dressing from Rick Bayless (on One of the Best Green Salads I Have Ever Made)

You might look at this plate of salad and think "Hmm.. Deb, there's a whole lot going on in there"... and you'd be right. I pretty much tossed together all of the best contents of my fridge and my weekend farmers market trip. But... besides being colorful and pretty, it all works so well together.


 A bed of baby romaine and baby arugula with thinly-sliced pink radishes, creamy avocado, tangy goat cheese, sweet, ripe blueberries and toasted pine nuts. Heaven itself. It is even better dressed with the Lime-Cilantro Dressing that I have been somewhat fixated on since we started cooking along with Rick Bayless at I Heart Cooking Clubs. Lime, cilantro, chile and olive oil--so simple and so good. Since our theme this week is Summer Salads, I knew I needed to break it out and create a salad worthy of it.


This one is definitely worthy of the dressing--one of the best green salads I have ever made. 

Lime-Cilantro Dressing (Aderezo de Limon y Cilantro)
Recipe from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless
(Makes 1 1/4 cup)
3/4 cup vegetable oil, olive oil or a mixture of the two 
1/3 cup fresh lime juice 
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest (colored rind only
1/2 cup packed cilantro, thick lower stems broken off 
fresh hot green chile to taste, stemmed and roughly chopped (optional
1 scant teaspoon salt 

 Combine all ingredients in a blender jar and blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt if you think it needs it - keeping in mind that dressings should be highly seasoned. Pour into a jar, secure the lid and refrigerate until ready to use. Shake well immediately before use. 


 Notes/Results: The dressing is tangy and herby and quite wonderful. The flavors say summer to me and I love the hit of chile that lingers at the end of each bite. (BTW: I used one small green Hawaiian pepper sans the seeds. These peppers look similar to a serrano but I find them to be much spicier.) I do pity those who don't like the taste of cilantro--it really makes the dressing and it pairs so well with the lime. The dressing was perfect on this salad and I think it would be wonderful with fish or seafood too. I will certainly make it again. This salad was amazing--each ingredient brought something different to the flavor and texture party. My only change would be swapping out the pine nuts for toasted pumpkin seeds. I just like them better and I thought that I had some in the pantry, but I have a tendency to snack on them so they don't last long. ;-) Lucky for me, I have enough ingredients leftover to repeat this salad--I am already craving more.



You can check out the salad creations the other IHCC participants created by going to the post and following the links.

I will also be linking this salad up to Summer Salad Sundays, hosted by Debbie at Easy Natural Food every Sunday throughout the summer season.
 

12 comments:

  1. Cilantro dressing!!!  How have I missed this, I have that book!

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  2. I foresee myself now becoming obsessed with this dressing also...anything with cilantro and lime!

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  3. Love Rick Bayless (a fellow Okie btw).   I have to agree that this might be the best green salad I have ever seen.   Definitely a "must try!"

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  4. that salad looks incredible! what great ingredients!

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  5. Great flavours going on! I love the bold and sharp tastes. Very alive and delicious! 

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  6. A beautiful plate of salad! I've made one with lime and cilantro dressing too, I should have blend them together, to infuse more flavour just as you did yours! But nevertheless, they are great too! Love your combination of blueberries and pine nuts! Lovely!

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  7. This is a beautiful looking salad and I love the flavours... looks fab!

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  8. This dressing definitely sounds like a winner.  I like the fact that it's tangy and herby with a little hint of spice.  I'm pinning this so I can remember to give it a try.

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  9. I like a "busy" salad.  It keeps me entertained!
    No one but me likes cilantro here.  Instead of pitying them, will you pity me instead? Ha!

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  10. What a great way to put that bunch of cilantro I always seem to have left over!  Mmmm, lime and cilantro dressing sounds like the perfect vinaigrette for summer!

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  11. Yep, this looks pretty good to me too! Love the sound of that dressing, and the combination of salad veg/goat cheese/blueberries sounds fantastic! Thanks for sharing with Summer Salad Sundays!

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