A QUICKIE-- A NEW LOW-FAT OR NO-FAT FRUIT-BASED (BUT NOT SWEET) SALAD DRESSING

I'm a bit late blogging this week and this will be a quickie blog post, too.  Easter, company, family stuff and working on a longer post (cookbook review) got in the way.  But, until I get that one done (tomorrow?), here's a new recipe I'm quite pleased with.

I'm always on the lookout for low-fat salad dressings that don't scream "low-fat"-- dressings that I can serve to guests who never worry about fat or calories, confident that they won't be disappointed.  I have been using  dressings made with my Oil Substitute for Salad Dressings (4 parts to 1 part olive oil, usually), such as Figgy-Balsamic-Sesame Vinaigrette and variations thereof (UPDATE: or use aquafaba/chickpea canned or cooking broth instead);  or silken-tofu-based dressings, such as Lowfat Poppyseed Dressing or Creamy Lemon-Agave Dressing.  Lately I've been experimenting with creamy dressings made with well-cooked white beans or chickpeas, such as Oil-Free Creamy Bean-Based "Caesar" Dressing.  (I've found that white beans make a good substitute for silken tofu in dressings, if you blend them until they are very smooth.  This is good news because they are much less expensive than silken tofu, and soy-free, if that is a concern.)  On occasion I've used fruit or vegetable-thickened dressings, such as Roasted Garlic Dressing or Blueberry/Pomegranate Vinaigrette.  They have all been well-received.  (I haven't had much luck with chia seed dressings, though, for some reason-- maybe I just don't like chia.)

Today, I had a couple of ripe pears around and I remembered that blended raw pears made a delicious, creamy dessert sauce.   Since pears are a mild-tasting fruit and their fruit is a bit pulpy, but blends down to a creamy texture, I thought it might make a nice thickening for salad dressing, too.  I was right, and the resulting recipe is below.  NOTE: Though I added a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, I think it would be fine without it.  And I think this recipe would be an excellent base recipe for all sorts of variations.   I hope you enjoy it.

Note: When you are tasting your salad dressing, remember that this is not something you are going to drink-- you are only going to use a bit of it to dress your salad greens.  So, it should not have a sharpness that will hit you at the back of the throat and make your eyes water, but it should be full-flavored.

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S CREAMY PEAR-BASED VINAIGRETTE (TARRAGON VERSION)-- New, Improved Version Aug. 20, 2015
Makes 2 1/2 cups
Play around with this recipe, using different varieties of  vinegar (or lemon or lime juice),  different herbs, and other types of oil (if you use oil), such as roasted sesame or nut oil.

2 medium, ripe pears, peeled and cored and cut into small dice (about 1 cup)
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
(Or, for a No-Fat version, omit the oil and use use 2 tablespoons more water, or juice, aquafaba/chickpea broth, or non-dairy milk, creamer or yogurt.)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried tarragon (or 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, minced)
Optional: 1/2 tablespoon golden flax seeds

Blend all of the ingredients together in a high-speed blender until very smooth.  Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator.  Simple as that!

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per 2 tablespoons serving): Calories 13.63, Calories From Fat, 7.28, Total Fat 0.84g, Saturated Fat 0.11g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 57.76mg, Potassium 15.35mg, Total Carbohydrates 1.67g, Fiber 0.35g, Sugar 0.91g, Protein 0.1g.

Enjoy!