Napa Cabbage Slaw

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Apr 5 2016

This salad is famous in Marc’s family. His grandpa and grandma make it, his aunts make it, his mom and sister make it. I haven’t met a person who can resist it. It’s essentially shredded napa cabbage with toasted crunchy bits and a sweet vinaigrette. I did the unthinkable and altered the recipe a wee bit. While I love the original, I always thought the dressing was too sweet, so I kicked the sugar back by half. I also added more almonds and seeds to the crunchy bits because, as Marc reminded me, it’s the best part. I love this… Continue reading ≻

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Oct 7 2015

I typically love my trusty vinaigrette dressings and if I’m in the mood for something creamy, blue cheese is my go-to, but it’s hard to put a good ranch dressing in the corner, baby-style. There’s a reason it’s most American’s favorite dressing and why you just want to dip everything in it. It’s creamy and caloric, yet somehow refreshing. Must be those fresh herbs. And when you have a guest over that isn’t too food adventurous, maybe it’s not the day to rock the boat, you know? You definitely want to show them how good homemade ranch is, though, and then when… Continue reading ≻

Summer Halloumi + Melon Salad

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Aug 11 2015

Ah, summer. The time of year when a salad like this is dinner and everyone is happy ’bout it. This salad is inspired by one I had at Selden Standard recently with seared halloumi, cantaloupe, fresh snap peas and radish. Fresh snap peas were hard to find last weekend and I wasn’t about to mince radishes, so I picked up what was fresh and pretty at the farmers market. Namely baby heirloom tomatoes, green beans and basil. The whole salad is drizzled with a sharp citronette to make the cantaloupe savory/sweet and the golden cheese is even better with a hit… Continue reading ≻

Smoked Blue Cheese Dressing

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Aug 4 2015

All of the stars aligned to make this recipe happen. I had plenty of green lettuce in the house and one of the heads from my CSA was a better version of iceberg, which always makes me think of bacon and blue cheese dressing. I went to Whole Foods and spent some quality time in the cheese department and saw that Roth Kase’s Moody Blue, a smoked blue cheese dressing, was on sale. I could smell the smoke through the plastic wrap. It intrigued me and then the cheese sign said, “For salads that wish they had bacon.” Then it… Continue reading ≻

CSA 2015: Week 5 + Creamy Vegan Lemon Basil Dressing

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Jul 24 2015

Whoa, so I posted a steak salad on Instagram Tuesday night and people were ALL ABOUT that creamy lemon basil dressing. Today’s the day I’m sharing! Again, we have lots of lettuce from our CSA and that means lots of salads. I have my favorite dressings, but I’m always ready to try another. I still had basil from last week’s CSA and I was strangely not in the mood for pesto. I was thinking about this Raspberry Basil Vinaigrette that we love, but instead made this creamy vegan lemon basil dressing. It’s blends up really creamy and it tastes like summer. The recipe is… Continue reading ≻

Vegan Roasted Cauliflower + Tahini Lemon Vinaigrette

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Mar 10 2015

Selden Standard's Roasted Cauliflower + Tahini Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe // www.dulanotes.com @nicoledula

I love eating out. It provides inspiration that I can bring back to my kitchen and I get excited about new flavor combinations. When I took my first bite of the roasted cauliflower at Selden Standard, I tasted the tahini + cumin + the zing of the pickled peppers mingling with the caramelized cauliflower. It was perfect. The dish isn’t fussy, but has layers of flavor. I’d never heard Marc rave about a vegetable dish like he did about this one. Chef Andy Hollyday from Selden Standard was interviewed on a local news show recently and shared how he makes his famous roasted… Continue reading ≻

Pomegranate Kale Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Nov 11 2014

Pomegranate Kale Salad // www.dulanotes.com @nicoledula

I was going to share this salad next week, but I love it so much that I couldn’t wait. It will be on our Thanksgiving table and it’s been on our dinner table 4 times in the last 2 weeks. It’s simple, pretty and the hearty kale leaves stand up to the dressing, so it lasts for days. It looks like a diva salad, but it isn’t! This is also the official salad of the baby boom of fall 2014. My very first niece is expected to make her debut at the end of this week, a good friend is due next week… Continue reading ≻

Raspberry Basil Vinaigrette

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Sep 2 2014

Raspberry vinaigrette makes me think of my first job. I filed documents and was the back-up receptionist in a corporate office. The company wasn’t huge when I started there. Later I found out that I was hired at the end of a merger with only a few key positions moving to Chicago, while the rest of the employees would lose their jobs. This explained the stressed out people and empty cubicles. I met all types of people while I was there, like the petite blonde that was obsessed with the McRib sandwich and the overworked payroll manager that buzzed around… Continue reading ≻

Basil Pesto in a Molcajete

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Jul 29 2014

I really try not to purchase kitchen tools that can’t be used regularly. My ice cream maker attachment was an exception and my mandolin was another. A mandolin that I can’t quite figure out how to use. The molcajete, though, was said to be the way to perfect pesto and now I have to agree. The consistency is different and to my surprise, a step above pesto made in a food processor. Don’t get me wrong, pesto in all its forms is good, but I think you should try it in a molcajete sometime. There’s something beautiful about manually creating… Continue reading ≻

Fattoush Salad

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Jul 15 2014

Until I moved to the east side of Michigan, I had no idea what fattoush was. Middle eastern restaurants are very popular around here and I remember the first time Marc’s family took me to one. It was a whole new experience with fast middle eastern music, draped fabric everywhere and new-to-me food. With a little help while ordering, I became a fan of the fresh and flavorful food pretty quickly. Fattoush and tabouli salad with tangy lemon dressing is usually the first course with as much fresh pita and garlic sauce or hummus as you can handle. The warm… Continue reading ≻

Dula Notes

Seasonal recipes and adventures from Michigan with love

Posts in the category: Dressings