I love a good homemade salad dressing and they take absolutely no time once you know what you are doing. At it’s simplest, you use an acid, an oil and some salt. The most traditional proportions are 2:1 ratio, oil to acid but you can play with that to suit your own tastes. Once you get your base you can add anything else to it for some wonderful flavours.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup ‘acid of choice’ (freshly squeezed lemon juice, red wine, white wine, balsamic or apple cider vinegar)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (or healthy oil of choice)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- ground pepper to taste
If you prefer a more acidic dressing just increase the acid and decrease the oil.
Variations:
French Vinaigrette: Use red or white wine vinegar for your acid, add 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard and freshly ground pepper.
Italian Dressing: Use red wine vinegar for your acid, add 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp honey, 1 clove minced garlic and 1 tsp dried oregano.
Balsamic Vinaigrette: Use balsamic vinegar for your acid, add 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp maple syrup and 2 tsp fresh thyme.
Honey Mustard Dressing: Use fresh lemon for your acid. Add 1 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Greek Salad Dressing: Use red wine vinegar for your acid, add 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Tahini Dressing: Use fresh lemon juice for your acid and replace your olive oil with tahini. Add 1 small garlic clove a tsp of honey and water as needed to create a thinner consistency. To make it a bit more exotic add 1 tsp freshly grated ginger and 1/2 tsp turmeric to this base.
Directions
Place all ingredients in a mason jar with a lid and shake well until combined. Let rest 5 minutes before using!