Salad dressings are commonly used for more than just salads. According to a survey, while 75% of people use dressing on salads, 40% use it in dips and 30% as a marinade. The article provides tips for using salad dressings in different dishes during the holidays, including using ranch dressing in avocado dip, favorite dressings as marinades for meats, balsamic vinaigrette in braised dishes, Italian dressing on tomato bruschetta, and adding dressing to potato or pasta salads for flavor. Salad dressings can also be used as sandwich condiments or in breads by covering olive oil brushed bread with dry dressing.

1. (NU) - If you’re like many
Americans, you likely have mul-
tiple salad dressings sitting in
your refrigerator right now.
Whether straight off the shelf or
made from a packet with added
ingredients, salad dressings can
be used for more than the typical
green salad.
In fact, according to a recent
survey by the Association for
Dressings and Sauces, while 75
percent of people use salad
dressings on a salad, 40 percent
use it in dips and almost 30 per-
cent use it as a marinade. (For
more information about the survey,
visit www.dressings-sauces.org).
Clearly, asserts the association,
salad dressings can be used for
so much more than dressing up
your leafy greens.
With the holidays fast ap-
proaching, the following tips
might inspire you to use your
dressing for something in addi-
tion to a traditional salad:
• In dips. Add ranch dressing
to a mashed up avocado for a dip-
ping sauce for crackers or cru-
dites when you need to bring an
appetizer to a party.
• As a marinade. Your fa-
vorite salad dressing also makes
a great marinade for grilled chick-
en and steaks. Perfect for your
Christmas Eve meal.
• For braised dishes. If
you’re foregoing the turkey this
year and considering something
different, balsamic vinaigrette be-
comes more fragrant when heat-
ed. Try adding this dressing base
to braised dishes for extra flavor.
•As an appetizer.Aquick and
easy appetizer can be had when
you toss cut tomatoes in Italian
salad dressing and then place them
on toasted slices of bread to make
a mock bruschetta.
• In your potato salad. Who
sayspotatosalads(andpastasalads)
are just for summertime? In either
case, you can give these salads a
mini-makeover by adding your fa-
voritesaladdressingtomayonnaise
for an extra kick of flavor.
• On a sandwich. According
to the survey, the Midwest uses
grocery shelf dressings as a sand-
wich condiment more often than
any other region.We say, why not?
• In breads. Did you know
you can use dry salad dressings
to make breads? If you make a
loaf of bread, cover it with olive
oil and top that with dry Italian
dressing -- you’ll have a deli-
cious Italian bread.
Formoreinformationandideas,
visit www.dressings-sauces.org.
Dressings Go Beyond Lettuce
and Salads This Holiday Season
FOOD
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