A walnut oil salad dressing has a unique flavor of its own that works well with more or less any veggie you can think of. Here’s how to make this versatile salad.
You know what happens to be a fantastic source of omega-3 essential fatty acids? The oil that is derived by drying, roasting, and then cold-pressing Persian walnuts. Produced majorly in the French Burgundy and Perigord regions, along with countries such as Australia, New Zealand as well as in the US (California), pure walnut oil has a topaz hue with a rather strong nutty aroma. Walnut oil is very similar to olive oil, in the sense that both the oils aren’t made for culinary methods involving high temperatures, making for excellent salad dressing oils, and both are heftily priced. One can even substitute olive oil with walnut oil in classic vinaigrette recipes. Walnut oil also happens to be blessed with some essential antioxidants naturally, which get damaged under the influence of heat. Here are some ways in which you can concoct some very delectable salad dressings that will be appreciated by all and sundry.
Baby Romaine Salad with Roasted Walnut Oil Dressing
To make this for 4 people, you will need,
- Baby romaine, 4 oz.
- Goat cheese, 2 oz. (chunked into tiny bits)
- Walnuts, ½ cup
- Blueberries, 3 tbsp. (dry)
To make the walnut oil salad dressing, you require,
- Walnut oil, 4 tbsp.
- Red wine vinegar, 1½ tbsp.
- American prepared mustard, 1 tsp. (a concoction made from commingling powdered mustard, sugar, turmeric, vinegar, and water)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Procedure
Whip the walnut oil, red wine vinegar, American prepared mustard, and the salt and pepper together to get a smooth thick dressing. Now, divide it into half and pour one part of it on the dark-green baby romaine and toss well. This will cake the lettuce well. Now, with the other part of the dressing, you need to mix the chunked goat cheese, the walnuts, and the dried blueberries well with a spatula. Next, on serving plates, arrange the green leaves and top them with the dressing, cheese, and fruit and nut mixture.
Asparagus Salad with Walnut Oil Vinaigrette
The number of ingredients in this recipe may look like a lot, but trust me, it won’t take more than 7 minutes of your life to make this delectable first course salad for 6 mouths. You will require,
- Asparagus, 2 lbs (trimmed and steamed)
- Walnuts, ⅓ cup (toasted, slivered)
- Parsley leaves, 1 tbsp. (fresh and chopped finely)
The dressing can be made with,
- Vegetable oil, ½ cup
- Walnut oil, ¼ cup
- White wine vinegar, ¼ cup
- Eschalot, 1 tbsp. (minced)
- Salt, ¾ tsp.
- Dijon mustard, 2 tsp.
- Black pepper, ½ tsp.
Procedure
First, vehemently beat together the vinegar, minced eschalot, salt, mustard, and pepper in a container. Gradually pour the vegetable oil into this mixture as you beat, and finally add the walnut oil. Keep whipping the mixture together until the dressing looks well mixed. Now, arrange the just tenderized asparagus on appetizer plates and drizzle the dressing on it. Top it with the hacked asparagus and slivered walnuts. Check seasoning and serve.
Arugula and Green Bean Salad with Walnut Oil Salad Dressing
Now this is a perfect side salad for a table full of twelve people. Gather,
- Arugula, 8 cups
- Green beans, 1 lb. (trimmed)
- Eggs, 3 (hard-boiled, shelled, and crudely hacked)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
The dressing ingredients are,
- Walnut oil, ¼ cup
- Eschalot, 1 (minced)
- Champagne vinegar, 1 tbsp.
Procedure
Put the dressing ingredients together in a bowl and whip them together to blend well. Season with salt and pepper. Now boil some water with salt in it and throw the trimmed green beans into the water. Allow the beans to boil for 5 to 6 minutes and then drain out the water. Hold the boiled beans under running tap water and then place them on tissues. Place the arugula, the beans, and the eggs into a vessel, and pour the salad dressing into the vessel. Toss extremely well for a minute or two and then serve.
Beet Salad with Creamy Orange-Walnut Dressing
To make this salad with a fruity twinge that luxuriates in a thick walnut oil salad dressing, for say 6 heads, you must have,
- Red beets, 1¼ lbs. (peeled and cut into ¼” cubes)
- Walnuts, ¼ cup (slivered, roasted on medium heat for 2 minutes))
- Olive oil, 1 tbsp.
- Herbes de Provence, ½ tbsp.
- Sea salt, 1 tsp.
And for the dressing,
- Light sour cream, ¼ cup
- Orange juice, 1 tbsp.
- Lemon juice, 1 tbsp.
- Roasted walnut oil, 3 tbsp.
- Orange zest, 1½ tsp.
- Sea salt, ¼ tsp.
Procedure
Set your oven to heat at 375° F and add the olive oil, the Provençal, herbs, and the sea salt to the beet discs. Toss to coat well. Place the beet on a cookie sheet. Roast the beets for 35 minutes and then allow the pieces to cool. Remember that while the beet is getting roasted, you must turn the sides over after the first 15 minutes. After that, whisk the dressing ingredients together and mix well. Then pour the dressing over the roasted beets and top with roasted walnuts.
Waldorf Salad with Curry-Walnut Oil Dressing
You must have,
- Apples, 2 (1 red, 1 green, peeled, cored, and diced tinily)
- Celery, 4 stalks (chopped)
- Walnuts, 1 cup (roasted, chopped)
- Raisins, ½ cup
- Celery leaves, ¼ cup (crudely hacked)
Walnut oil salad dressing needs,
- Soy yogurt, ½ cup
- Walnut oil, 1 tbsp.
- Agave syrup, 1 tbsp.
- Curry powder, 1 tsp.
- Indian garam masala, 1 tsp.
- Ginger, ½ tsp. (crushed)
- Cinnamon, ¼ tsp.
- Tabasco, a dash
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Procedure
Blend together all the dressing ingredients. In a separate bowl, add the cubed apples, celery, raisins, celery leaves, and walnuts, and season with salt and pepper. Then pour the dressing into the bowl and toss until all is well coated. Serve immediately.
These are healthy and pleasantly colorful to look at, and therefore should not pose as much of a problem when it comes to feeding your kids some wholesome salad.