Secret Salad Dressing Recipes

'SECRET' SALAD DRESSING

Steps:

• Combine the ketchup, vegetable oil, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, onion, salt, and pepper in a blender; blend until smooth. Store in refrigerator.

" DRESSED UP" SALAD WITH SECRET DRESSING

Steps:

• SALAD.
• In salad bowl, tear lettuce and add green or red onion and seasonings (for some reason, it seems to work better with the onion mixed in with salad greens, not as one of the "rings"). Toss and smooth greens so top is uniformly level.
• FORMAL ATTIRE.
• Proceed to "dress up" the salad by making a 1" ring (1-1/2" for wider bowls) of grated carrot around edge of bowl thick enough to cover the greens.
• Then make rings inside this of corn, then green pepper, then beets or tomatoes then mushroom slices piled in the center circle. If using beets and tomatoes both, make it tomatoes then a ring of mushrooms then a mound of shredded beets in center.
• Make sure rings are thick enough to cover all the "naked" greens. You can use any vegetables of your choice to make the rings, such as radishes, olives or water chestnuts, but I prefer the varying colors and blend of flavors of the above.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to place it on buffet or dinner table.
• SECRET DRESSING.
• Make Secret Dressing by placing cut pieces of ginger root and vinegar in a blender and blend until smooth. Press through a mesh strainer over a bowl, squeezing out pulp to get more liquid into bowl. Pour liquid back into rinsed-out blender.
• Add honey, garlic and soy sauce. Blend well. Slowly add oil while blender is on low to mix.
• Pour into a jar with cover, shake and refrigerate. When ready to serve salad, shake jar and pour into a cruet for guests to pour their own.
• PRESENTATION.
• Put salad on buffet or dinner table and after everyone oohs and aahs, toss well and serve with secret dressing in a cruet for them to pour on desired amount.

LAURA'S FAMILY SECRET CREAMY ITALIAN DRESSING

Steps:

• Put all ingredients in a blender and blend well. Serve with a chopped salad with your choice of ingredients (toss the salad with the dressing and don't just pour over the salad).
• Suggestions for chopped salad: chopped mixed lettuces & baby spinach, carrots, tomatoes, artichoke hearts or garbanzo beans, cucumbers, red/green/yellow bell peppers, jicama, fresh basil or herbs of choice. Chop all ingredients in a uniform size (I use kitchen shears to chop the lettuces) and toss. You can do this ahead and assemble the salad at the last minute, having stored the ingredients in ziplock bags in the fridge. Toss with dressing immediately before serving.