Is anyone else a little offended by the appearance of pumpkin spice in August? STAHHHHP. I'm still loving the abundance of summer harvest and the abundance of food-centered vacations. In our house, you can take a trip somewhere but it's not really a vacation unless there's some really good food involved. Fine in moderation. But I can't live like this everyday. Somebody feed me a salad.
Initially this dressing was the least appealing to me, mostly because of the presence of almond butter. Although I do like peanut sauces on satays, lettuce wraps, and sesame noodles, I never really thought about using a nut butters in a salad dressing even though it would work in theory. Plus, turmeric and almond butter sounds like a weird combo.
The nutrition profile is pretty on par with the other two dressings in this series. Nothing crazy or unpronounceable.
Here's something that I might actually eat in a day - with like 15 minutes left before having to scram out the door. I call it the "clean my fridge" salad - leftovers with random fruit/veg that needs to be eaten and drizzle with dressing of choice.
1) This ended up being my favorite dressing out of this dressing series, probably because I didn't have any baseline expectations. In fact, this was an entirely new flavor combination that I haven't tried before, and I actually liked it quite a bit.
2) I wouldn't call this dressing "creamy," like a thicker traditional ranch or Caesar, but it is certainly creamier than a vinaigrette and definitely "thicker" relative to the carrot ginger and green goddess. Still drippy though.
3) The flavor combo works quite well - there's salt, acid (lemon), and fat (almond butter). The turmeric, garlic, and ginger give a strong flavor without being too overpowering.
4) This is one of those dressings I would use to lift an otherwise boring or sad salad because the flavors are interesting and pretty potent. But I wouldn't use it all the time because it would overpower and mask the natural goodness of in-season produce. Y'all would be surprised at the power of simple olive oil, salt, and pepper drizzled over fresh cherry tomatoes and crisp blanched green beans.
5) Same price point as the others - $3.69 for 11oz. Not expensive like this is a $50 olive oil or something, but not something I would personally purchase all the time. But repurchase? Been there done that y'all.
TL;DR: Trader Joe's Almond Butter Turmeric Salad Dressing. A little nutty, gingery, refreshing, and perfect to brighten up any mediocre salad. 8 out of 10.
I was afraid to try this because I don't like the flavor of turmeric. Love ginger, though. But you don't mention it there with "nutty, gingery," so maybe it's mild on the turmeric? can anyone comment on the turmeric flavor presence/ strength?
ReplyDeleteI hope this isn't a duplicate, I got an error message & it seemed to delete earlier.
I'm sad about your partner's aversion to salad/raw veg, since that will shorten his life/make him sicker. I imagine you've tried reason (raw veggies are actually the closest you can get to REAL FOOD).
ReplyDeleteIt seems to help convert non-salad eaters if you put lots of non-green stuff in, like grated cheese, nuts, crumbled tortilla chips, bacon/lox/prosciutto, egg, dried fruit, or whatever they like …
Since his aversion is mostly in his head (an idea), maybe you can get him to try 'just a bite' & experiment w/different ingred's/dressings. You might even consider barter - "if you will try one bite of every salad I make (when practicable), I will do … X ... in return." And, ask what ingredients HE would like to have in.
Just some thoughts. But maybe you don't feel a need to try, he is a grown-up after all. Unfortunately, like most of us, he got some unhealthy/toxic brainwashing along the way... Best, and thanks for the blog!
P.S. In case he believes those paleo-diet myths that all our ancestors ate was meat, that's been de-bunked by scientists analyzing the contents of their gut/their teeth/DNA residue, etc. Hunter-gatherers ate mostly plants, with the occasional meat feast, because animals were hard to catch/kill.
ReplyDeletePS Other odd things I like in salads - sweet potatoes, lentils, fresh peaches/apricots/blueberries.
A good friend of mine never put a drop of dressing of any type on her salads. But she loved every crispy, crunchy vegetable in them, and would eat them with gusto, not grudgingly like your partner. I could never understand going without some sort of salad dressing myself! This Almond Butter Tumeric dressing is a favorite of mine. Like your simple dressing of olive oil, s&p, I sometimes drizzle only Trader Joe's gold Aceto Balsamico de Modeno on sliced avocados. Yum! Thank you for your great reviews. I have some happy reading to do!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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