From Linda Evans’ Recipe For Life: A Favorite Salad Dressing!

Dressing It Up – Linda Evans “Dishes” Out Her Favorite Recipe!

 

What does Linda Evans’ new recipe book and memoir, Recipe For Life, have in store? We’re thrilled to share a sneak peek! If you are a baby boomer woman who loves to eat – and we mean really loves to eat – this is a deliciously simple and healthy salad dressing with all the good stuff!

As Ms. Evans told Fifty Is The New Forty in her interview, the recipes in her cookbook and memoir are all about the experience and the enjoyment of the foods we love and share, including the emotional connection to ‘breaking bread’ with those we love. As is often the case, there is a story behind our favorite recipes. This one is no exception…

If you enjoy this recipe, you’ll love the rest of what Recipes for Life has to share. A special thank you to Linda Evans for sharing her favorite recipe with us!

MY FAVORITE SALAD DRESSING

If you’re ever on a diet and want something really delicious, this is a killer dressing that you can put on any greens or mixings you like. It’s so good you’ll swear you’re not on a diet.

MAKES A GENEROUS 1⁄2 CUP

• 2 ½ to 3 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar (or red wine or balsamic)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon heavy cream
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Whisk ingredients together and serve. Store tightly covered in a jar in the refrigerator for up to a week, shaking vigorously before use.

BABY SPINACH SALAD WITH CITRUS AND AVOCADO

If you’re not on a diet and want something really healthy and delicious, this is a great salad.

This light and refreshing salad brings out the best from My Favorite Salad Dressing, with the sherry vinegar highlighting the citrus, and the hint of creaminess echoed in the avocado slices. A sprinkle of toasted walnuts rounds out the flavors nicely, but you can make this salad more of a meal by shaving on some good Parmesan and crumbling some crispy bacon over the top.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

• ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 pink grapefruit (I like Ruby Red)
• 1 large navel orange
• 1 ripe Hass avocado
• 6 cups baby spinach (or mixed greens)
• 1 recipe My Favorite Salad Dressing (page 222)

In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toss the walnut pieces just until they smell fragrant and toasty, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and set aside. (If you leave them in the hot skillet, they may scorch.)

Trim the orange and grapefruit into membrane-free segments (chefs call these “suprêmes”) by this method: working with a sharp knife on a cutting board, cut off the top and bottom of the rind, including any of the white pith beneath. Set the fruit level on the board and slice off the rind and pith in sections. Then hold the fruit in your hand and use a paring knife to cut each segment free of the membrane and dropping the fruit into a bowl, turning the membrane over like the pages of a book.

Halve the avocado and cut thin slices into the citrus bowl. Toss very, very gently just to coat the avocado slices with citrus, to keep them from browning.

Divide the greens among four serving plates and top with the citrus and avocado slices. Drizzle the dressing over the tops of the salads and sprinkle with the toasted walnuts. Serve at once.

Be sure to follow our new section for great food and recipes for baby boomers – more great stuff to come!