Easy Vinaigrette

photo by sara tady ©

Most people who know me know I love, love salad dressing and always order extra.  Here's the easy vinaigrette I make almost every night at home.  I never use store bought dressings, have you seen the ingredients in those? Yikes!

Ingredients:

white wine vinegar (you can also use lemon, white balsamic, red wine or balsamic)

extra virgin olive oil

dijon mustard

salt & pepper

Directions:

In a small ramekin or bowl, add 1 tsp of dijon mustard, several pinches of salt and pepper, and 1 part vinegar or lemon.  Whisk together.  Keep whisking and stream in 2 parts olive oil.  Whisk until blended and season to taste.  I tend to like mine more on the vinegar side, so please adjust as you see fit :)

Seared Honey Glazed Tuna Steak Salad

photo by sara tady ©

So, I'm cheating a little because this isn't exactly a recipe.  It does, however, fall into the category of easy, fresh and affordable.  Among those categories, you can also add impressive, elegant and fulfilling.  Tuna steak is best when it's prepared medium-rare.  I had mine with a simple balsamic vinaigrette.  

Here are a few pointers:

• This is a case where your pan/grill should be HOT before you put the tuna on
• Mix together a bit of salt, pepper, and equal parts olive oil and honey to glaze the tuna
• Spread the glaze on the tuna
• Drop onto the hot pan/grill
• Sear for roughly 4* (maybe 5) minutes on 1 side
• The fish will "let you know" when it's ready to be flipped- it will separate itself vs. sticking to the pan/grill for (somewhat) easy flipping.  If the 4 minutes go by and you find yourself fighting to flip the tuna, the pan might not of been hot enough.  Either way, try your best to flip it while keeping the fish intact.  You don't want to wait and risk it being overdone.
• Once on the 2nd side, you've only got about 2-3 minutes before it's done. The second side always cooks faster.
• Slice tuna AGAINST the grain to keep it from falling apart.
• Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette
• add a few pinches of salt and pepper, 1 part balsamic, 2 parts extra virgin olive oil. Whisk together.

* Adjust cooking times if you'd like it cooked medium, though I don't recommend it :)

dijon salmon with a cherry tomato and goat cheese salad

sara tady ©

ingredients:
salmon
whole grain dijon mustard
leaf lettuce
goat cheese
cherry tomatoes (halved)

step 1: salt and pepper salmon
step 2: rub salmon with 2 tbs of whole grain dijon mustard
step 3: place salmon directly on grill or grill pan. allow salmon to cook on 1 side for 4 minutes. flip to other side for an additional 2-3 minutes. over cooking will dry salmon. (you could wrap in foil and place in the oven at 375)
step 4: assemble salad by crumbling desired amount of goat cheese and tomatoes on top of leaf lettuce. dress with homemade vinaigrette.

vinaigrette:
mix 2 tbs of dijon mustard, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of black pepper and roughly 3 tbs of white, red, or balsamic vinegar together. once combined, continue whisking and pour in roughly 5 tbs of extra virgin olive oil. serves 4.