Salad Dressings
Making your own salad dressing can be a healthy and an inexpensive alternative to bottled dressings.
Salad dressings should be refrigerated until served and should generally keep in the fridge for 3 to 7 days.
Salad dressings should be refrigerated until served and should generally keep in the fridge for 3 to 7 days.
Traditional
French Creamy
Yields 2½ cups ½ cup mayonnaise ½ cup tomato sauce (ketchup) ¼ cup white wine vinegar ½ cup sugar or 2 tsp stevia (powder) 1 small onion, cut into wedges ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper 1 cup light olive oil In a blender, combine the mayonnaise, tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, onion, salt & pepper; cover and blend until smooth. While blending, gradually add the oil in a steady stream. French Vinaigrette
Yields ½ cup ¼ tsp salt 1 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar 1 Tbsp finely minced shallot or red onion ½ tsp Dijon mustard 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil fresh herbs, freshly chopped (optional) In a small bowl, mix together the salt, vinegar & shallot. Let it rest for 10 mins. Mix in the Dijon mustard and then 3 Tbsp olive oil. Stir well. Taste and if too sharp, add the additional 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Finally, if desired, mix in the fresh herbs. Greek (Vinaigrette & Creamy)
Yields 1 cup 2 tsp freshly crushed garlic ¼ tsp salt 1½ tsp Dijon mustard ½ cup extra virgin olive oil 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice ½ tsp sugar or a pinch of stevia 5 Tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tsp dried basil 1 tsp dried oreganum Place all the ingredients in a jar, close the lid & shake well. * For a creamier dressing, add all ingredients except the oil to a blender. Pulse several times to mix ingredients. With blender running on high, slowly pour the oil into the blender until mixture is creamy. Italian Vinaigrette
Yields 1 cup 2 tsp finely chopped garlic 2 tsp English mustard powder 2 tsp dried origanum 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar 150ml extra virgin olive oil freshly ground salt & black pepper In a jar, add the garlic, mustard powder, origanum & vinegars. Close the lid & shake well. Add the olive oil, season to taste with salt & pepper, close the lid & shake again well. |
Vinaigrette
Basic Vinaigrette
Mix 1 part vinegar (wine, spirit or balsamic) to 3 parts oil (extra virgin olive oil or light olive oil). Garlic
Yields 1 cup ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup white wine vinegar 1 tsp freshly crushed garlic 1 tsp salt ½ tsp black pepper Place all the ingredients in a jar, close the lid & shake well. Ginger
Yields ½ cup ¼ cup soy sauce ¼ cup lemon juice 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled & crushed Place all the ingredients in a jar, close the lid & shake well. Honey
Yields ½ cup 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 3 Tbsp lemon juice 1 Tbsp honey or ¼-½ tsp stevia (powder) freshly ground salt & black pepper, to taste Add the olive oil, lemon juice, honey & freshly ground salt & black pepper to a jar. If using stevia and depending on the make, the quantity of stevia may need adjusting - so taste! Close the lid & shake well. Lemon Vinaigrette
Mix 1 part lemon juice to 3 parts oil. Mustard
Yields ¼ cup 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 Tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp wholegrain mustard freshly ground salt & black pepper Add the olive oil, lemon juice & mustard to a jar. Season to taste with salt & pepper, close the lid and shake to combine. Niçoise
Yields 1 cup 125ml extra virgin olive oil 60ml light olive oil 60ml red wine vinegar 1 tsp finely chopped garlic freshly ground salt & pepper, to taste Place all the ingredients in a jar, close the lid & shake well. |
Creamy
Basic Mayonnaise
Yields ½ cup 2 egg yolks 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1 cup light olive oil 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive 1 tsp freshly crushed garlic (optional) 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar freshly ground salt & black pepper In a blender, combine the egg & mustard. With the blender running, slowly add the oils in a thin stream until completely combined. Add the garlic (optional) and vinegar and pulse until smooth. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Blue Cheese (Quick & Thick)
Yields 1 cup 100g blue cheese 3 Tbsp tangy mayonnaise 3 Tbsp natural mayonnaise 2 Tbsp French vinaigrette salad dressing 2 Tbsp blue cheese creamy salad dressing Crumble or grate the blue cheese into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Blue Cheese (Basic)
Yields 2 cups 1 cup blue cheese, crumbled ¼ cup sour cream ¼ cup buttermilk or plain yoghurt 2 Tbsp mayonnaise 2 Tbsp lemon juice freshly ground salt & pepper In a small bowl, use a fork to mash together the cheese and sour cream until it forms a chunky paste about the consistency of cottage cheese. Stir in the buttermilk, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Honey
Yields 1 cup 1 cup plain yogurt (Bulgarian or Greek) 2 Tbsp honey 2 tsp orange peel, grated In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together well. Horseradish Cream
Yields 1 cup 2 Tbsp natural mayonnaise 4 Tbsp sour cream 2 Tbsp prepared horseradish 1 tsp lemon juice 1 Tbsp finely chopped chives (optional) In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together well. Mustard Mayo
Yields ½ cup 3 Tbsp natural mayonnaise 3 Tbsp tangy mayonnaise 2 tsp Dijon or English mustard 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together well. Ranch
Yields ½ cup 4 Tbsp buttermilk or plain yoghurt 2 Tbsp mayonnaise Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp rice vinegar (optional) ½ tsp garlic powder (optional) 4 tsp finely chopped fresh chives, mint, and/or parsley (optional) In a bowl, whisk together the buttermilk & mayonnaise. Taste and season with salt & pepper. If desired, whisk in the rice vinegar, garlic powder & herbs. Tarragon
Yields 1 cup ½ cup plain yogurt (Bulgarian or Greek) ¼ cup sour cream ¼ cup apple juice concentrate 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp tarragon leaves, minced In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together well. |
