Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

If you like blue cheese as much as I do, then you are going to love this recipe. I often add blue cheese crumbles to a salad when I make it, but they tend to scatter and I don’t get that wonderful blue cheese tang in every bite. Over the weekend I wanted to change that, and decided that the best way to get full blue cheese coverage was to include it in the dressing so that absolutely every bit of the salad was coated. This dressing is so good you won’t believe it. It works beautifully on spinach salads, green salads, and salads with fruits and nuts in them. Try it on anything; you will love it.

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

¾ c. light olive oil
½ c. apple cider vinegar
1 t. dried oregano
1½ t. garlic powder
½ t. lemon pepper seasoning
¼ t. kosher salt, more or less to taste
1/8 t. freshly ground, black pepper, more or less to taste
1½  t. dried parsley
4 oz. blue cheese, divided

Place all ingredients into the work bowl of a mini food processor EXCEPT 2 ounces of the blue cheese. Blend until emulsified, turn out into a storage container, and stir in the remaining blue cheese. For best results, refrigerate overnight before serving. Best when used within 2 to 3 days.

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Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

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If you were on planet earth back in the 70s, then you are familiar with the wedge salad. True to its name, the wedge salad is little more than a wedge of iceberg lettuce topped with blue cheese salad dressing, and the extras of your choice. When all of that foo foo lettuce came into vogue in the 80s, the wedge salad fell into disfavor. Not with me. I liked it then and I liked it now. You can’t argue the ease in putting one of these together, but I also love the cold, crunchy lettuce, the smoky crumbled bacon, the fresh chopped tomatoes, and that magnificent dressing.

Happily, I’m not alone. Four-time world barbecue champion Myron Mixon, known for his best-selling barbecue books (BBQ&A with Myron Mixon, Myron Mixon’s BBQ Rules, Everyday Barbecue, and Smokin’ with Myron Mixon), recently came out with Keto BBQ, Real Barbecue for a Healthy Lifestyle, a new book published by Abrams in which he details how he lost 100 pounds while still enjoying barbecue. But, as he tells us, it’s not just about the barbecue, it’s also about the sides. The wedge salad is one of them. His contention is that the wedge salad’s main function is to deliver blue cheese and bacon to your belly. He’s not wrong, topped with his fabulous blue cheese dressing, it's a wedge at its best. I have made a lot of blue cheese salad dressing in my time, but this is unbeatable. Try it, and wax nostalgic with a wedge salad. Or, if you must, toss it with some foo foo lettuce and enjoy it that way as well.

 Blue Cheese Dressing

1 c. crumbled blue cheese
2/3 c. full fat sour cream
2/3 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1 t. garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Optional: two scallions, white and light green parts only, minced, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (I added both of these.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. This dressing can be refrigerated in a jar or other container with a lid and stored for up to five days.

Makes about 2 cups.

Disclaimer: I received a complementary copy of Keto Barbecue from Abrams Books as a member of Abrams Dinner Party.