Two More Vinaigrettes

There are three things that I simply can't comprehend why people purchase ready-made, when they are SO easy to make at home, and the results are vastly superior in flavor as well as nutrition.

One is applesauce (cut up apples - don't bother peeling! - cook with a splash of water, blend.)
Second is mashed potatoes (cut up potatoes - don't bother peeling! - boil, drain, mash.)
Third is salad dressings. That being said, I've only pretty recently gotten into making salad dressings on any kind of regular basis.

The basic recipe for a salad dressing is 1 part acid to 2 parts oil. Everything else is negotiable! Using that starting point, I made a couple of vinaigrettes a while back that were both very tasty in different ways, so I thought I'd share them. I used measurements for beginners, but the easiest way is to first squeeze the citrus directly into your glass jar, then just add oil to the level of 2x the citrus. They don't mix when you pour it in, so you can easily tell where the levels are. Then just add your spices, shake and enjoy!

The first is a variation on one I posted before. That one was Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette. This one is also lemon and mustard, but without the herbs and with the addition of enough honey to smooth out the bite and texture, but not really enough to make it gloppy sweet, like a commercial honey-mustard.

Honey Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-2 T dijon mustard - my favorite is Maille
3 T honey (preferably local)
1/2 tsp sea salt

Put it all into a jar and shake it up, or a bowl and whisk. Taste, and adjust salt or anything else. Shake or whisk again, and enjoy!

Lime Herb Vinaigrette

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
a pinch each (1/4 tsp): dried oregano, basil, & thyme
2 pinches (1/2 tsp) herbes de provence
(or use about a tsp of any mixed herbs you have on hand)
1/2 tsp sea salt

Put it all into a jar and shake it up, or a bowl and whisk. Taste, and adjust salt or anything else. Shake or whisk again, and enjoy! 

Storage: Store your dressings in the refrigerator. Take them out about half an hour before you plan to use them, because the olive oil will have solidified, and it needs time to come back to room temperature so that you can use it. You can also just shake it up really well when it's cold and that will help it liquefy to a usable state, too. 

A Note About Buying Herbs: Get to know the bulk herbs section at your grocery or natural foods store. You will not believe the price difference from those little jars in the spice aisle of the store. For the tiny effort of scooping the quantity of herbs that you need (small or large), and labeling the bag, you can pay about 85 cents for an amount that would be $3-5 in the spice aisle. Not even kidding. You can store them in their baggies (in a dark cabinet to keep them fresh), or put them into glass or plastic containers for a little more protection. I use flat plastic containers that once held carry-out Chinese soup, or old natural peanut butter jars for larger quantities. I keep a roll of masking tape and a Sharpie in a drawer and use that to label everything. (I'm a little bit of a compulsive labeller, LOL.)

Tangent: More than once, someone has said to me, "You probably alphabetize your spice rack!" to which I always reply, "Of course not! Spices are sorted by function!" This photo actually bothers me a bit, because the stacks are not appropriately sorted, LOL. The fennel seed should be in the left-hand stack (roots & seeds), and the rosemary should be in the right-hand stack (leaves). But that's just me! Ha!