New Year, New Recipes

At Christmas this year my family gave me a new cookbook. I have found a love for new recipes and if you can't already tell I have my go to source and sometimes I need something new beyond that. Don't get me wrong, I love the roots of my new-found love for food, but it's important to stretch yourself from time to time.

This new year brings with it renewed hope for better living. For whatever reason it's often easier to begin new life trends with a new year. This year is no different. I want to cook more often, blog more often, and in the mean time find balance and joy in the things I do.

To kick off the new year my love and I tried a new salad dressing recipe. We put it together last night and had our first real taste this afternoon. The cilantro flavor is mild and it seems to have just a little bite, I blame the vinegar and garlic. I like to cook with cilantro but I'm not as big of fan as some people I live with. If you're timid about cilantro this is still worth a try.

This week we are going to pair this dressing/marinade with some fish. I imagine it will work really well together.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette by Our Best Bites
Ingredients

• 1/4 c. fresh lime juice (about 2-3 juicy limes)
• 1/4 c. white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher or sea salt
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 c. canola oil
• 1/2 c. roughly chopped cilantro, stems removed
  

Directions

1. In the jar of your blender, combine lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and sugar. Blend until ingredients are completely combined.
   
2. With the blender running, add the oil in a steady stream. Add cilantro and blend until the cilantro has broken down but still maintains some of its texture.
   
3. Serve with greens, on any type of Mexican salad, or use as a marinade. *It's best if you can refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
   

Sop It Up. It's that good.

When Drew and I were in San Diego for our honeymoon we happened to eat lunch at the Naked Cafe at Solana Beach. I was really into a salad they offered and when the waitress asked me what kind of dressing I habitually answered, "Ranch." Obviously I was in the wrong place for ranch dressing, they are all about whole foods and treating your body to a higher level of delicious.

She rambled off a few of their dressing options and I chose the one with Balsamic and Rosemary. Ever since our first date I have been in love with 3 things: Drew, the rosemary and balsamic combo, and sopping up every last bit of delicious. The dressing was phenomenal and I couldn't get enough. When we ventured back to San Diego in 2008 I was sure to go to the Naked Cafe for the dressing alone. We ended up going for breakfast and that was little bits of heaven but no salad.

One of my souvenirs from the trip, however, was a bottle of their salad dressing. Too bad it didn't last long at home and thus began my quest for a homemade recipe. Like manna from heaven my magazine arrived in the mail and there was a section dedicated to balsamic vinegar and what did they have?! It's serendipity really, a recipe for balsamic-rosemary vinaigrette dressing.

I made it again the other evening. Let's just say the blender was clean before it hit the sink because I used a piece of bread or more and sopped up every last bit left on the glass...and the blades...and...the lid...don't judge me ok. Try the dressing and you'll be doing the same.

Balsamic-Rosemary Vinaigrette
Ingredients

• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 small garlic clove (I put this through the press before adding because I have an older blender)
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. In a blender, combine vinegar, mustard, garlic, rosemary, water, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. With machine running, add oil in a thin stream; blend until creamy.

You can put this is a clean jam jar or a dressing jar if you have one. The recipe states that it is good in the fridge for 2 weeks but that is if it lasts that long. When we have this on hand it's common for us to make BIG salads for dinner and add some grilled chicken and crumbled feta. And of course when the salad is gone, and traces of the dressing remain, I have to sop it up. It's that good.