Girard’s Epicurean Expert

Some people [I won’t mention any names] in my family are veggie haters (GASP).  Roasted, raw, salads, or otherwise, it takes a special kind of flavoring or cooking method to convince them that vegetables are edible.  Usually, this means when we have salad at our house, a delicious dressing is mandatory.

Being the “Epicurean Expert” of the family, I suggested they try out these gorgeously bottled, golden-rimmed, gourmet dressings by Girard’s, which I received to try out on the blog.  It was a great reminder to them, that although my tons of foodie products take up some room in the kitchen and the fridge, and we’re pretty much bff’s with the Fed Ex guy, blogging does have its perks.

Girard’s was even more generous with this package, sending along a recipe holder, some salad utensils, and a cute little apron to keep the dressings company.  Thank you, so much!

This time, I tried out White Balsamic, Light Champagne, Old Venice Italian, and Greek Feta.  All of which were fabulous.  My favorite, the Light Champagne was pretty much chugged straight from the bottle poured on salads like it was going out of style.  Each variety has less sodium than before, and the White Balsamic Vinaigrette and Greek Feta Vinaigrette varieties contain no high fructose corn syrup.

You want more deets?

Greek Feta (100 calories/2 tbsp.) – This one was probably my favorite substitute as a marinade.  If you’ve ever had Gazebo Room dressing, it is similar to that!  I loved it on grilled chicken!

White Balsamic Vinaigrette (110 calories/2 tbsp.) – YOU MUST make this recipe. 

It screams FALL.  My vote is actually to replace the apples with pears.  This is a total crowd pleaser.

 Olde Venice Italian –  Another GREAT marinade…infact, the website agreed.  They’ve got a wonderful recipe for Brick Chicken out there, which makes sense.  This dressing also makes a fantastic pasta salad!

Light Champagne (60 calories/2 tbsp.)- With 65% less fat than regular Girard’s Champagne dressing, you won’t miss out on ANY flavor choosing this instead.  I really loved it on a bed of romaine with blueberries, mandarin oranges, almonds, and sprouts!

Want to try them for yourself?  As I mentioned, Girard’s is a very generous brand, and offered to give away the same set that I received to one of you guys!

Here’s how to enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me which dressing you’d most like to try and what you’d make with it.
2. Check out the Girard’s website and tell me about another dressing that sparked your interest, not mentioned in this post.
3. Blog, tweet, or facebook about this giveaway and leave an additional comment for each.

Contest will close Wednesday next week and a random winner will be selected!