Family Dinner Recipes!

We had the most delightful Family Dinner last week, the first of the year to feature outdoor eating!! So I tried to keep it (mostly) light and start the transition into veggie filled meals. I made some coconut rice, and a few giant salads. The dressings were the real story though.

Salad number one was just mixed local greens, quinoa, chick peas, and yellow peppers,  with a lemon garlic dressing I make at school and home all the time. Then we had warm, slightly roasted carrots, green beans, and potatoes with an awesome curry vinaigrette I adapted from Epicurious. These are both pretty versatile, and would be great drizzled over just about anything, as far as I'm concerned.
They were enjoyed my kids and grown ups alike, and many folks asked for the recipes. Here they are, for all of your spring salad needs!


Lemon Garlic Dressing

3 cloves garlic, finely minced
juice of 1/2 fresh lemon - about 3 Tbsp
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary  - use minced fresh herbs if you can, otherwise, dried is fine
1 tsp salt
fresh pepper
1 tsp honey
3/4 cup olive oil

Whisk all ingredients well! Let sit for 20 minutes or so if you can before serving. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to a week.


Curry Viniagrette

2 Tbsp curry powder

1 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp salt

black pepper

1 small clove
garlic, minced

1 tsp honey

Mix 2 Tbsp curry powder in a small bowl with enough water to make a paste. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Add 1 cup olive oil and stir. Let mixture sit for 1-2 hours.
Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer lined with a paper towel. Discard the leftover solids.
Mix the curry oil with 3 Tbsp cider vinegar, 1 tsp of salt, a few shakes of pepper, the garlic, and the honey. Whisk well!