Any Great Salad Dressing to Make at Home????

Here is a great salad and salad dressing.

Ingredients:
1-2 heads of butter lettuce (washed and torn into pieces)
1 avocado, cubed
¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
1 crisp apple, cubed
½ to 1 block of feta cheese, crumbled
Add any of the following (whatever is in season):
• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Any other fruit you like!

Dressing:
½ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tbl sugar
¼ tsp dried mustard
salt & pepper

Here are two of my favorites. They take a little bit of time to prepare but you can make a lot and use it all week--on salads, brown rice, etc.

HONEY SHALLOT DRESSING
Finely chop 1 shallot
Cover the shallot with honey and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes
Stir in equal parts olive oil & balsamic vinegar (more or less, if you want to make it less oily, etc.)
Stir in some freshly ground pepper and garlic salt
You can also add some mustard powder if you want to make it like a honey-mustard balsamic dressing.

LEMON MISO DRESSING
Chop a few cloves of garlic
Add about 3/4 cup olive oil
Stir in some miso--start with about 1 Tbsp and then more or less, depending on your preference. You can find miso in the refrigerator section--by the tofu and vegan products (I know QFC carries it). It is packaged in a plastic tub and there are many varieties of it (organic brown rice mico, regular, etc. I prefer the regular)
Add some freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)
Stir and enjoy!
I love this one but if you don't like fresh garlic, or lemon, this one might not be for you...it's a little tangy with the lemon juice in it. You can add more miso to balance it out if it's too bitter or oily.

My favorite:
3/4 cup lt. olive oil
3 Tblsp. lemon juice
3 Tblsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tblsp. dijon mustard
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Mix together and pour over this salad:
Mixed baby greens or baby spinach
1/2 a Red onion , sliced thin
2 Fuji apples, sliced thin
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
4 oz. crumbled goat cheese (or Blue or Feta)
1 cup dried cranberries

I'm not a fan of balsamic vinaigrette (because I like dipping bread in balsamic vinegar and olive oil), but here are the two I use most often for actual salads:)

Basic Vinaigrette:

Sherry Vinegar
Minced Shallots
Olive oil
Cracked Pepper
Lemon or Lime Juice

The proportions of a vinaigrette are REALLY flexable. Less oil than you would think, about 1/2 the oil as the vinegar. You can also throw in mustard or mustard and honey. Or raspberry juice. Or blueberry juice (especially if you're using lemon). If you let the shallots sit in vinegar, it turns it brilliant purple. Which can be fun. I only ever make up enough for the salad at hand, and nearly every time make it a little differently, depending on what we're eating, and what's in the pantry.

Basic Asian (the proportions here are a little more important, but you can still play around)

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup any veggie oil (but NOT olive)
Dash of Sesame oil
Sesame seeds (optional)

This dressing doesn't mix well together when you first stir or shake it. You have to stir it again right before you pour it. You can also add ginger (fresh or powdered). Goes brilliantly on cold rice noodles (somen). Keeps in the fridge for ages if in a container with a lid. You can also add miso paste for a more robust, creamy flavor.

:)

I LOVE to make my own vinagrette dressings. I dont use a recipie I just dump stuff in until I like how it tastes...I always start with olive oil and either balsamic or red wine vinegar and then add some combo of the following:
*Dill (LOVE THIS)
*Mustard (yellow or dejon)
*Rice wine vinegar
*honey (if you want it sweeter(
*lemon or lime juice
*soy sauce (yes soy sauce - just a little bit adds so much flavor...and if you add too much and it is salty just add some more honey)
*salt and pepper
*some white wine if I have a bottle open
The list can go on and on but my point is just start putting things in that you like, then taste, and put in more if you want it to taste different. It is so easy and I always get lots of complements on my salads! The thing I also love is that you can tweek it depending on what you are in the mood for. Good luck!

I just do an amazing simple.
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
garlic
basil and sometimes franks red sauce.

it really is amazing and so simple!!!

good luck and enjoy!

M.

my favorite is the herb vinagrette from the Betty crocker cook book-

1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Baslamic vinagrette
2 crushed/chooped garlic cloves
1/2 tsp dried mustard
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oragano
1/8 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp sugar

It is really good with basic spring mix lettuce, pears blue cheese, and chopped walnuts. You can use fresh herbs but it does not last as long.

I use the Good Seasons Italian dressing packets and the labelled bottle you can get at the grocery store.

Switch the vinegar amount for the water amount.
White wine vinegar
Add a tablespoon of sugar when you add the season packet.
Canola oil.

Supper simple and easy to have the ingredients on hand for fresh dressing anytime. Do not refrigerate the leftovers.

We always just throw olive oil and balsamic vinegar on our salads and then toss them. Sometimes for a change we use red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

I don't measure much, but I can tell you what we use.

Lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper (great on all salads)

Balsamic, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic

Pesto, olive oil, white wine vinegar (or just the pesto)

REd wine vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, roasted red pepper, olive oil

We make lots of weird flavors, just kinda whatever we see that sounds like it would work together. HOpe that helps!

Good for you! Salad is awesome but can get boring if you don't change it up. So here goes.....

Olive Oil and Vinegar of choice , Balsamic, red, cider, raspberry are all good!

Than believe it or not but the seasoning packets in Top Ramen! Chicken is the most versatile. Mix to Taste.

Ohh!!! and on a side note they make spray can things for your homemade dressing at Bed Bath and Beyond. $10 and reusable. They spritz vinaigrette well, don't think a creamy would work though

Had dinner at our in-laws and she had made an awesome dressing that I loved, this is the recipe she gave me.

Nice and cheap too!!

My favorite vinaigrette (for 2-3 servings, adjust accordingly)

1 T Olive Oil
1 T Red Wine Vinegar
1 T Rice Wine Vinegar
1 t sugar
1 t dijon mustard
salt & pepper

Great on red cabbage with raisins!

I like to mix olive oil or canola oil with balsamic vinegar and honey then I add some garlic salt and pepper. It is really yummy! You just add like a third cup of oil, a fourth cup of vinegar and 1-2 Tbsp. of honey then season to taste!

This isn't a Vinagerette but it is still really good. We call it Dominacos and I don't really have measurements but just mix all the ingredients until I like how it tastes. And just to tell you, the ingredients may not sound good but trust me it's good and most people who like ranch like this.

Light Mayo
Light Sour Cream
Beef Consume' (you can find in the soup isle)
salt& Pepper
Garlic powder

Mix all together and it should have kind light brown creammy look. Like I said, it doesn't neccassarily sound good but it is!!