Salad Dressings

Hi.

*guilty look*

I know, I've been gone.  I don't write, I don't tweet.  I'd give you an excuse, but you wouldn't believe me.

*shuffles feet*

Forgive my sin of not blogging, but I come to you with not one, but TWO salad dressings.  Rejoice!

Wait, who rejoices over salad dressings?  Usually, not me.  I am NOT a salad person by any stretch of the imagination. The only time I am - if someone else makes it.  I'm not kidding - if there's leftover salad after an event at work, I pounce on it like there's no tomorrow.

A salad that I make?  Meh.  Who needs it.

*quiet voice* "Hey down here.  Your hips say hi."

Oh, that's right, me.

For salad dressings, I usually go with the stuff right out of the bottle.  However, do you look at the contents of the bottle?  Hello, sugar?!  I'm trying to be healthy here!

In the May 2011 issue of Everyday Food, the editors asks if you have tried cooking with vinegar.  Truthfully, no, unless a recipe calls for it, because that stuff STINKS.    But it had an entire page of vinaigrettes, and since I am controlling the sugar and ingredients, I figured my salads could use a pick me up.

White-Wine Vinaigrette, adapted from Everyday Food, May 2011.
Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, for seasoning.

Mmmm mud.

Directions:

1.  FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS.  I messed up, and somehow added 1 teaspoon of Dijon Mustard as I was reading the directions for the red wine vinaigrette when I was trying to make the white wine.  ARGH.  So the flavor isn't correct, but it was actually pretty darn tasty.

2.  Whisk together the white wine vinegar, shallot, parsley and olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

My Trader Joe's Honey Bear stares you down.  The balsamic is a free sample I received at a 5k race, of all places.

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste.

Directions:

1.  Read the ingredients carefully, correctly and lay out the ingredients before you begin mixing.

2.  Whisk together balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, and extra virgin olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Yeah, nothing makes dressing look pretty.  

Of these two, I think I enjoyed the honey-balsamic vinaigrette more.  First, because I didn't screw it up.  Second, while balsamic is usually very strong, the honey and the mustard helped to dial down the balsamic while still keeping the hints of the balsamic flavor.  

Both dressings are very light and very easy to make, and would go great on any salad.

Such as this awesome one I made, with romaine lettuce, diced tomato, cucumber, chicken, fresh (cooked) corn, and garbanzo beans.  Deliciously healthy.