Italian dressing

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp red-wine vinegar

3 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp honey

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

In small airtight container, combine vinegar, water, oil, parmesan, honey and spices.  Shake well and chill in refrigerator until serving.

This doesn’t make a huge batch so if you’re doing it for a family or wants to keep some on hand, I would double or triple the recipe.  The flavor is good and it’s comforting to know what exactly is in your dressing! 

Mexican Chopped Salad

Ingredients:

1/3 c Italian dressing

½ tsp cumin

1 can black beans (drained)

1 can corn (drained)

½ c chopped red onions

Optional:

2 avocados (chopped)

2 c cherry tomatoes

1 yellow pepper (chopped)

½ c mexican style shredded cheese

Mix together and serve with chips, lettuce or over rice. 

Italian cheese dip

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 packet Italian dressing mix

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup bacon bits

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate an hour before serving. Serve with crackers and veggies.

This is good but super strong Italian flavor.  I doubled the recipe and ended up adding more cream cheese and mayo.  Next time I would make a double batch but only use 1 packet for the entire thing.  It was better after it sat in the fridge overnight but still very strong flavor.  

Ritz Bruschetta

Who doesn’t love a good bruschetta?  For those times when you don’t have a loaf of crusty bread on hand this is a great substation because if your house is like mine, there are always crackers in the cupboards. 

Ingredients:

3 plum tomatoes, chopped (1 cup)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 green onions, chopped

1 Tbsp. zesty Italian dressing (I used a light version)

36 Ritz crackers (I used reduced fat)

2 Tbsp. shredded parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400°F. Combine first 4 ingredients.  Place crackers on baking sheet; top with tomato mixture and Parmesan cheese.  

Bake 8 to 10 min. or until cheese is melted. Serve warm.

This was tasty and super simple to make. Next time I would make the topping beforehand so that the flavors had time to mix together a bit more.  But as far as a quick and easy snack, this was all that and more.