Salad Dressings

As we all look for healthier eating options, many of us have turned to salads. Main-course salads for lunch or dinner. Or even just a side salad to add some veggies and crunch to our evening meals. They can grow tiresome rather quickly though. Bland iceberg lettuce and the same old cherry tomatoes and cucumber slices. Slathered with some bottled dressing that's not too healthy. Or, even worse, some exotic gourmet concoction that costs too much and goes bad too quickly on the refrigerator shelf.

If you keep a few pantry ingredients on hand though, and learn the basics of vinaigrettes, you can create an interesting salad that you can pair with whatever kind of meal you're preparing. All you need is some spices, several varieties of vinegars, and some oil, and you'll be ready to go. All these recipes make enough for a well-dressed salad for two or four and leftovers for the next salad. They keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Let's start with the basics. A simple vinaigrette that includes the tang of Dijon mustard.

Dijon Vinaigrette
All quantities can be approximated and altered to your personal taste. There's no reason to turn easy salad dressing into a complicated science experiment!

2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar (I find that white wine or sherry vinegar is a great neutral vinegar that won't overwhelm the other ingredients in the dressing.)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons herbs, as desired (Use whatever you like. Dried thyme, oregano, or tarragon. An herb blend like herbs de Provence. Even some finely minced rosemary. Think about herbs you're using in your main course and integrate them here.)
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Pinch salt
3/4 cup olive oil

In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, vinegar, mustard, herbs, pepper and salt. Slowly whisk in olive oil to emulsify. (You can always take the easy route and dump all into a jar, put the lid on and shake away.) For a creamy version, whisk about four tablespoons of mayonnaise into finished dressing.

A twist on the basic vinaigrette uses the stronger flavors of Balsamic vinegar. This one's a favorite at our house.


Balsamic Vinaigrette
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
(No need to spend the family farm on this particular ingredient. There are some gourmet vinegars on the market that can twenty dollars and more. They should be used only for finishing, a tiny drizzle to cap a recipe right before serving. Our pantry standard is available in most grocery stores for about six bucks. Just make sure it says "Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena." That way you know you're getting a quality product and not some cheap artificially sweetened stuff.)

Liberal pinch of garlic pepper blend.
(You can use minced garlic and black pepper, but I keep McCormick's garlic pepper at the front of my spice cupboard and use it all the time.)

Pinch of kosher salt.

3/4 cup olive oil

Mix first three ingredients in bowl or jar. Add olive oil and whisk or shake.

A couple of weeks ago, I was helping my brother fix dinner for our family and his soon-to-be bride and in-laws. He panicked when he realized he had forgotten to buy salad dressing. No worries. He had several ingredients on hand for an Asian marinade for the grilled salmon. I came up with this recipe. (You might already have most of these ingredients on hand for your Asian-inspired dinners.)

Asian Vinaigrette
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce (With this in dressing, be careful before you add any additional salt.)
1 teaspoon minced or dried ginger
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2/3 cup olive oil

Whisk or shake all ingredients together.

Get creative with this one and add salad ingredients that are typical of Asian cooking. Red bell pepper, green onions, celery and/or sliced water chestnuts. Maybe even use Chinese cabbage instead of lettuce greens. Add a sliced chicken breast and some almonds for crunch and you have a meal!

Based on my recent successful Asian improvisation, my brother called the other night for more advice. He and his wife were fixing a yummy meal of sweet potato cakes and black bean soup. They wanted to add a salad to the mix, but couldn't figure out how to make it work. Here was my suggestion.

Southwestern-Style Vinaigrette
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons ground cumin (That's the secret ingredient in this one.)
Garlic Pepper
Salt
3/4 cup olive oil

Mix or shake together.

Again, get creative with the salad you're dressing with this. Slices of jicama. Avocado. Even corn kernels or black beans. Whatever says Mexico, Cuba or South America to you.

So don't just settle for iceberg and Ranch dressing. Put your creativity to work and make a knock-them-dead salad that integrates perfectly with the rest of your meal.