Save That Naturally Fermented Sauerkraut Brine & Make Some Salad Dressing!

Have you ever eaten all your sauerkraut or pickles, and wondered what to do with all that leftover brine? It’s such a shame to throw it out! While some people drink it straight up from the jar, I like to reserve mine for use in salad dressings and marinades (and maybe the occasional cocktail).

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I usually make dressings that are reminiscent of a vinaigrette; brine and oil, salt and pepper, and herbs. It tastes great, but the other day I went grocery shopping and came home with some beautiful fruit I wanted to use in a salad; this meant I needed to tweak my dressing game a bit! I decided to make a creamy, avocado based dressing that is citrus-y, slightly sweet, and enhanced the salad perfectly.

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For the salad I used spring mix, curly kale, purple cabbage, orange & purple baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, blue berries, kumquats, tangerine, feta cheese, pecan pieces, and of course, a nice big serving of sauerkraut to top it all off.  It was amazing, and I totally recommend it, however, this dressing would taste good on almost any kind of salad.

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Avocado Citrus Salad Dressing

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 lime
• 1/2 a tangerine (use the other half in your salad!)
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 Tbsp Bubbies naturally fermented sauerkraut brine
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp whole milk (or Greek) plain yogurt

Halve the avocado and scoop all the flesh into a medium bowl. Add juice from one lime, and juice from 1/2 the tangerine. Add honey, oil, sauerkraut brine, and yogurt.  Blend all ingredients together (we used an immersion blender) until everything is mixed well and has a smooth, creamy consistency.  If the dressing is thicker than you like, use a little more sauerkraut brine or citrus juice to thin it out a bit; likewise, if you’d like the consistency to be thicker, add a little more yogurt.  Drizzle over your salad and enjoy! Don’t forget to top your salad with a heaping spoonful of sauerkraut!

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