Tangy, creamy, and packing a little mysterious kick, Russian dressing is a classic salad topper and dip that deserves a little more attention. Coming together in five minutes or fewer, you’ll want to have a bottle of this in the fridge at all times!

Russian Dressing

If you’ve ever eaten in a diner in the US, chances are you’ve eaten or seen Russian dressing. Whether it’s on a salad, burger, or reuben, or used as a dip for french fries or fried pickles, you’re probably familiar with this red-flecked, creamy orange dressing.

What is Russian Dressing?

This ubiquitous dressing is a combination of mayonnaise and ketchup punched up with a little prepared horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and onion, and brightened up with a little fresh lemon juice. And despite the name, it’s decidedly American.

Dating back to the early 1900s, it was called Russian dressing because the original version contained caviar which was considered to be a Russian ingredient at the time. While many restaurants use Thousand Island dressing on Reubens these days, Russian dressing was the original spread used for the sandwich.

Russian Dressing Vs. Thousand Island

So what’s the difference between these two dressings? They sure appear similar at first glance.

Both are made from that delectable combination of mayonnaise and ketchup, and both contain some minced or grated onion, but the similarity ends there. Thousand Island is decidedly sweeter, containing sweet pickle relish. Russian has more zest and punch courtesy of the prepared horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika.

In many cases, you can use them interchangeably, but my preference leans toward the Russian, personally. I like the hint of horseradis

Creamy Basil Dressing Recipe (Easy And Healthy)

Add a burst of flavor to your salads with this simple and nutritious creamy basil dressing recipe. Made with fresh ingredients, it’s the perfect addition to your healthy meal options.

Watch How to Make our Creamy Basil Herb Dressing Recipe

This is one of those recipes that has evolved over time and has become one of my favorites. I drew some inspiration from our creamy avocado cilantro dressing, but in this salad dressing recipe, I mix up the herbs and amounts sometimes depending on what I have on hand or what is in season. I’ve even served it over roasted corn for a corn salad once. So good! It’s just one of my go-to, most favorite things ever.

We used this fresh basil salad dressing on our BLT pasta salad once and we have never used any other dressing on it since. It is just so bright and fresh and the perfect creaminess and zesty flavor for that pasta salad recipe. Scroll down to the section below for more ideas of how to use this dressing recipe.

Ingredients for Creamy Basil Dressing

This creamy basil salad dressing is a perfect blend of fresh, vibrant herbs and smooth, rich flavors. Made with simple, yet delicious ingredients, it brings a burst of aromatic basil combined with the creaminess of Greek yogurt and mayo. Here’s a list of the ingredients you’ll need to make this delightful dressing:

• Plain Greek Yogurt: Lightens up the dressing a little and adds great protein.
  • Possible substitute: sour cream
• Mayonnaise: Adds more creaminess and gives a little acidity to the dressing.
• Buttermilk: Helps thin out the dressing to a good consistency while keeping the dressing tangy and fresh.
• Fresh Herbs: Basil, Parsley, Dill and Chives — Everything must be fresh, no other option here.
• Worcestershire Sauce: Adds delicious umami undertones to the dressing and some acidity.
• Seasonings: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Full of toasted sesame flavor, tangy, and crisp-tender, sweet and savory pickled broccoli is unexpectedly wonderful. Much like bread and butter pickles in taste, these brined, thinly sliced broccoli stems are great on salads, sandwiches, and cheese boards.

Pickled Broccoli

Can you pickle broccoli? Oh, absolutely!

I know a lot of folks don’t know what to do with broccoli stems and they often get tossed into the garbage or compost, but I’m here to tell you that you need to pickle them! They bring so much oomph and pizzazz to your food day.

And they’re budget friendly, too. You can have your Oven Roasted Broccoli one night for dinner and pickle up the stems for later use in salads or snacking. Future you will be grateful – I can guarantee it!

Pickled Broccoli Stems

These quick pickled stems only require the following ingredients:

• broccoli stems
• sugar
• rice wine vinegar
• lime juice
• sesame oil
• garlic

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Creamy caesar dressing is a salad classic for a reason; flavorful and full of umami, it makes every salad special. It also makes a fantastic dip for raw vegetables!

Creamy Caesar Dressing

Caesar salad is one of those salads that even the most committed non-salad lovers like. I credit the dressing with this minor miracle because it packs so much flavor nobody can resist it!

I know a lot of folks turn their nose up at the inclusion of anchovy paste or anchovies, because they don’t always sound appetizing, but trust me when I tell you they belong here. It melts into the homemade caesar salad dressing and lends its powerful umami abilities to the dressing in a way nothing else can.

And the truth is that without the anchovy paste or anchovies, it simply won’t taste like the caesar dressing everyone knows and loves.

Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe

To make this easy caesar salad dressing, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• mayonnaise
• lemon juice
• Dijon mustard
• Worcestershire sauce
• anchovy paste or anchovies
• garlic
• Parmesan cheese
• salt
• pepper

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Homemade Coconut Peanut Butter [+Video]

This is the recipe you never knew you were missing! Creamy homemade coconut peanut butter is a little bit of heaven on earth and you can make it in 5 minutes or less!

A trip to Hawaii last year was the perfect end to our daughter’s senior year of high school. We had an awesome time and came home inspired to make a few things at home, starting with the coconut peanut butter.

At Waialua Bakery in Haleiwa I sampled a coconut peanut butter that I’ve been craving ever since. In fact, if you know where I can get Coconut Peanut Butter let me know because it is sooo delicious! I immediately began testing at home and found out that 1. you need to use the right coconut, always dried, never fresh and 2. slather it on everything!!!

What Do I Need to Make Coconut Peanut Butter?

This homemade peanut butter recipe only takes 5 ingredients and I love knowing exactly what is going into a recipe. Here is what you will need:

• Bare Toasted Coconut Chips: These can be found at most grocery stores – Walmart, Kroger, Harmon’s, Target, and Amazon of course!
• Unsalted Dry Roasted Peanuts: Make sure the peanuts are roasted and not raw and you’ll definitely want unsalted.
• Vanilla: adds flavor
• Salt: enhances all the flavors
• Brown Sugar: adds a touch of sweetness, maple sugar could also be used

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card down below. This is meant to just be an overview of items you will need.

How to Make Coconut Peanut Butter

You won’t find an easier recipe to make! Grab a blender, a rubber spatula and some measuring cups and spoons…

1. Blend: Add the coconut chips to a blender and blend until grainy.
2. Cream: Add the peanuts and blend until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides if needed to get all those peanuts blended.
3. Finish: Add the few remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

The recipe card can be found down below with all the ingredients and instructions. You can also print or save the recipe there.

How to Use Coconut Peanut Butter

I use this peanut butter with coconut wherever I can think of. It is so dang good! My typical go-to is on top of lightly toasted multi-grain bread. Sometimes I just have the toast plain with the peanut butter only and other times I’ll load it up with sliced fruit and other toppings. Here are some other ideas:

• Add it to a smoothie in place of peanut butter (or other nut butter) like our Read more