With grocery prices continuing to be high, being frugal has become a key strategy to affording good healthy food. There’s some confusion about the meaning of the word frugal, but the key definition for me is “not wasteful” (this is one of a set on dictionary.com here). So, let’s talk about how to take your leftover sauces from sauce to salad dressing.
I look through my fridge regularly and almost always find some yummy sauce left over from a meal. I make a lot of my own now so I know there aren’t additives or chemicals in there. This means they’re really tasty. But what to do with the leftover sauce after that meal is over?
Food safety first
Of course, sauces (like other fresh food) doesn’t last forever so only repurpose things within a couple of days from the first meal.
And if the “sauce” is a meat marinade,” it should be boiled 5 minutes to make sure any raw meat germs are killed.
From sauce to salad dressing!
Just about any good marinade or sauce that’s fairly liquid can automatically be used as a salad dressing. And it’s kind of a given if it includes oil and vinegar!
Can thicker “sauces” work as dressing?
Dips and spread could also become salad dressing in the right circumstance. Think ranch…if thicker, it can be a great dip. A little thinner (in this case, with milk), and it’s a salad dressing. All you need is enough liquid to spread it around a little.
I made a wonderful date mustard (substitute for honey mustard – recipe here) as a part of tuna salad, then as a dip for cut veggies. It needed a little thinning, but just a little water turned it into a fantastic salad dressing. I’m making my mouth water now…may have to make more!
A mindset shift
I’m working on a shift in mindset from “I can’t” to “How can I?” And I think that applies here, too. Look through that fridge and think creatively. What’s in there that could become salad dressing? I wanna hear about your results in the comments below!
Wanna see something else I repurposed into salad dressing? Check that out here!
