Ok, salad dressing is simple! Say it with me, “simple!” Salad dressing from scratch is so easy, so fast and you don’t get any of those yucky preservatives or hydroblahblahblahblah like in those bottles! And you are not limited to just oil and vinegar kinds; making creamy dressings are easy too! And here’s the thing, you most likely have all ingredients in your pantry already! All the tools you need are a bowl and a whisk! Here are my simple “go to” recipes for really yummy dressings. Also, one of my favorites is my maple mustard vinaigrette that I posted on 8/24. (definitely give that one a try!)
Simple Italian Dressing
½ cup olive oil
6 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp minced shallots
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
pinch of sugar
Whisk all the ingredients together and pour over salad. This dressing can be used on just about any salad you can think of. It’s truly a “go to” dressing. You can easily replace the red wine vinegar for balsamic vinegar and you can omit the shallots if you like. PS shallots are delicious. If you don’t know what they are they are kind of a cross between garlic and an onion. Here is what they look like and how you should chop them:
Asian Dressing
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Whisk all the ingredients together and pour over salad. This one is so great on any kind of asian or summer salad. Apple cider vinegar has proven to be one of the healthiest stuff on earth for us. If you’ve never tried it, I highly recommend it!
If you want to whip a dressing up on your own and not follow a recipe, all you have to know is this. Keep the percentages 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 oil. You can use just about any oil and any vinegar and any spices you’d like. It’s so easy to be really creative with this! Just make sure when you are experimenting to make the dressing in a bowl separate from your salad, so you can whisk it together, taste and adjust if necessary.
