A while back I posted about a pasta we had along with a salad topped with an Annie's dressing. An anonymous visitor commented that the Papaya Poppyseed Dressing was their favorite. Of course, I had to try it myself... and, I agree! I love this dressing, it is a little fruity and nice to pair with a stronger-tasting entree perhaps with a lot of spices or herbs.
Next, I love the Shitake & Sesame Vinaigrette. For those of you concerned about added sweeteners, this dressing has none. It lends a delightful Asian flavor to salads, with toasted sesame oil and the earthy flavor of shitake mushrooms. I often add a squeeze of agave nectar to the bottle and shake it through, since I think this addition of sweetness enhances the overall flavor.
Finally, I could not forget to mention Annie's very popular Goddess Dressing. My gosh, we go through bottles of this in our house! This dressing also does not have any added sweeteners and is quite thick. So thick that it is better served (in my opinion) as a dip for raw veggies, drizzled over pasta, whole grains, or in a sandwich, rather than to top delicate greens. A little ketchup mixed into this dressing is also delicious (just ask my 4 year old, who, by the way, LOVES this dressing the most).I also love that I can catch specials on these dressings every couple of months that allow me to stock up! So, since that anonymous comment encouraged me to try the Papaya Poppyseed variety, are there other Annie's dressings that you really like - or other brands?
P.S. My daughter just walked in and seeing me do this post sang "Goddess Dressing, yummy, yummy, yummy, Goddess Dressing"!!!
17 comments:
Oh my! Is your daughter singing to the tune of the Wiggles "Yummy, yummy, fruit salad"???
I LOVE goddess dressing! My local Whole Foods here in San Francisco just got jumbo size bottles in stock! I was sooo excited to see that. My honey was too. He puts that stuff on everything! Have you tried Amy's Honey Mustard Dressing? That one is great too.
Great blog Dreena. I check in daily, but this is my first post. I couldn't resist once I saw the Goddess dressing! I can't wait to get your books. Yum!
I love Goddess Dressing, but I get a knock-off version of it at Trader Joes. Same ingredients--but, a lot cheaper!
I recently bought a Trader Joe's Goddess dressing trying to save a dollar..and UGH it does not compare. It was so bad I can't bring myself to buy the real Goddess dressing yet.
Speaking of dressing, I forgot my Caeser today for my salad. It was a sad lunch hour, and I mixed some peanut butter with a teeny bit of maple syrup and sea salt instead (I was working with the office fridge here). It was a mush..but actually tasty.
My new favorite Annies is their "Woodstock" dressing. Yummy! I actually tried it for the first time this weekend at Vegfest (not sure if it's a new flavor), and we wound up buying a couple bottles on the spot. You've got to try it Dreena!
Julie
i've never tried an Annie's dressing, though i see them all the time.. even our regular grocery store carries it in thier small nat. food section. i think i'll try the Goddess one first, since it could also be a nice dip for the kids (and what kid doesn't like to dip??)
Chris, yes, that's a terrific idea for the Goddess Dressing, and it packs so much flavor to carry into the rice, veg, and tofu.
Hi Kai - no, we don't know of that one (and I'm thinking that's a very good thing)! We have quite a few kids cd's (raffi, dinosaur ones, etc) and those songs go through my head during the day and all night - it's unbearable at times! I know those wiggles are incredibly popular, though (I think that's why I've tried to avoid them this long, mean mommy)! :)
Well, Megan, I'm glad I found something that got you to "bite"! :) Yes, the jumbo size bottles are much better value, esp if you use it often (as we both seem to)! So glad you've been visiting and please comment again!
Hi Julie and Jess... I keep hearing about this "Trader Joe's"... frustrating I am unable to score on all the deals I hear about!! (oh, and Jess, I love mixing nut butters with a little maple syrup - or agave and cinnamon...mmmmm!)
Hi Julie! I just saw that 'Woodstock' dressing on their website - yes, it IS a new dressing, and I was very intrigued by it. Now I want it!!! I haven't seen it at our local stores, though... will probably be a year or more before I find it here! :( !!
Yeah, Michelle, go for the Goddess Dressing first. They may find it a tiny bit strong or herby at first - but then, your kids eat quite a variety, don't they... so they would probably LOVE it as a veggie dip (and you too)!
Hi Mal! Well, I'm glad you're still about, and good to hear from you again... too bad they don't make the raspberry vinaigrette with agave instead of honey - I'm guessing that's why you don't have it anymore...?
A tip I read somewhere is to just add a little bit of water to the bottle of Goddess and it thins it up a bit and makes it last longer, and you don't even notice a change to the taste. :)
Hi Me, the dressing sounds good (haven't tried it because of the dairy), I really like dill though, and would love a non-dairy version!
Oh, great tip, Mindy, thanks!... a little thinner would be better for drizzling on salads.
I love the balsamic vinaigrette and my husband likes the gingerly vinaigrette, but I don't think either is strictly vegan (although dairy-free) since I see honey on the ingredients.
But I do have to put my vote in for Goddess. So, so damn good.
I think the one my kids like a lot is the Tuscan vinaigrette or something like that. I use it to make pasta salad for their lunches: tri-color pasta, olives, kidney beans, veggies etc.
There is a roasted red pepper one I like...I think it was Annie's. I used to like the Raspberry one but it may have honey...haven't had it in a while. I tried the Shittake one and it tasted a lot different than I expected. It was okay but I thought I would like it MUCH MORE considering it was mushrooms which I LOVE...I thought it was a tad salty. I would still buy it again from time to time for a change though.
I answered a few more things on my blog comments. I don't think I will be posting today because I have too much to do (boo hiss) but wanted to take a short break, read comments, and return a few.
Oh! I did the Lemon Herb Tofu last night. It's what's for lunch today. I had a few chunks left and did the suggestion of the sandwich filling/spread in your book and mixed it with Nayonase. I am thinking I am not a big fan of Nayonase unless it is starting to turn??? Does it have a shelf life? (If refrigerated, of course.)
The herbs and lemon were tasty though...I accidently put an extra Tablespoon of Tamari in it but it didn't seem to be too overpowering.
Oops!
And...
I heard someone mention Trader Joe's Brand...I don't have Trader Joe's or Wild Oats! ACK! We do have a Wegmans...about an horu away...eventhough there is all that bad PR right now about them being FOR caged eggs, etc.
On the other hand...
Their Nature's Market is my only alternative other than a further away Whole Foods than seems to be more expensive at times...so, yes, I shop there, even though I feel bad about the bad PR.
Anyhow, Wegmans has their own brand of Healthy Dressings - many of them VEGAN. It says it right on the label! :)
6 of one - half a dozen of another, I guess...but when it's one of two options, I guess you could call me desperate. *grin*
Emily, yeah, I think they both have honey, but the Tuscany Italian (which Nancy mentions) is also quite good - and without honey (though they don't identify it as vegan on their website as they do with their other varieties).
That's also a good idea, Nancy, adding the Tuscan Italian in with pastas, it's also pretty thick like the Goddess.
Hi Harmonia... I doubt your Nayonnaise is going off - unless you have had it opened and not refrigerated. After opening, it should keep several months I think in the fridge. Maybe you just don't like the flavor. I like Nayonnaise because it's not as heavy as Vegenaise - but I know Vegenaise is preferred by many (maybe most) vegans, and it definitely has more of that classic mayonnaise flavor (like a Hellman's). Nayonnaise is lower in fat, and so doesn't have that true mayonnaise taste that Vegenaise has. Btw - sometimes it's those kitchen 'oops' that help you discover a new recipe or variation on a recipe that you like! Glad you enjoyed the tofu!! :) Don't beat yourself up about the shopping. We have to do our part, but we also need to keep our lives somewhat in balance and not totally stress out over all of our choices. If you are only able to shop at one particular market, then so be it. My gosh, how many of us shop at regular grocery stores that stock huge amounts of factory farmed meats and dairy products?! But, we need to get some of our organic produce there, etc. Also, I wish MORE labelling identified foods as VEGAN clearly so we don't have to sort through ingredient listings all the time!
Dreena, you are a feel good person! Meaning you always make people feel good about themselves and others...at least you make me feel that way. Thank you. I think you are right about the nayo. I think it might be too vinegary for my linking or something. I think I will try veganese if I find it next time.
You are oh so true about the other stores as well. I shop at those stores every week! Because I have to like you said. Heck, I'm just thankful for the veg alternatives, period. They are so hard to find around my area and I get so excited when I find something new.
Thanks again.
Hi Harmonia, sorry I'm just now responding to you - has this week been crazy for everyone else? Holy doodle!
Anyhow, thank you for that. That really is such a sweet thing to say, and means a lot. You know, I get annoyed with how militant some people are in the vegan lifestyle. I think we are far better off trying to encourage people to make the bigger changes - stop buying/eating meat, eggs, dairy - than to preach on about how important it is to be pure with everything we do.
I mean, the animals would be far better off (as would we with our health, and the state of our environment), if people could eat a plant-based diet and not give themselves stress over having an energy bar with a trace of honey in it - or a couple of foil-wrapped mini easter eggs. I'm not saying that vegans shouldn't eliminate all animal products, but let's not give everyone else a hard time for doing their best and making the bigger changes that have the most impact.
Imagine how much change there would be if more people weren't intimidated by the purity of making the changes? I'll stop going on here, I just wanted to get that across because you should be proud of the changes you are making and know that we all (or most of us) 'slipped up' from time to time on our journey. Just keep on going with it! :)
My favorite Annie's dressing (other than the Goddess, of course) is the Tuscany-style Italian dressing. Problem is, I can never find it! In the last year, I've only seen it in two stores. I've asked about it at others and am told it's unavailable, so I know it's not just aproblem of it being sold out. Anyway, it's delicious.
Post a Comment