3 Salad Dressings I Know By Heart
I promised you some 3-ingredient salad dressings to go with those “Magic of 3” salads. Actually, the number 3 is not the controlling factor.
What characterizes these recipes is that they’re easy to remember. I don’t have to look ’em up, which means I make them all the time.
I found out I’m not the only one who does this. If you like mine, here’s a place to find more recipes you can know by heart. Meanwhile, try these:
Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette
Think 1/3, 1/3, 1/3. Yummy! You can substitute Stevia or other sugar substitutes, but it won’t have the same thickness.
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vinegar, divided evenly between balsamic and a milder vinegar like cider, white, or red wine
1/3 cup olive oil
Place all ingredients in a jar. Shake before pouring. Doesn’t have to be stored in the refrigerator
Basic Asian Vinaigrette
The key to this one is equal parts vinegar and oil, plus a splash of sesame oil for flavor. I pour this over all kinds of salads. Add red pepper flakes for heat. Add 1 T peanut butter for a Thai twist.
1/2 cup rice vinegar (I prefer “flavored” which includes a little salt and sugar)
1/2 cup oil (not olive, but something mild)
1 T sesame oil (toasted sesame oil adds more flavor)
Place all ingredients in a jar. Shake before pouring. Doesn’t have to be refrigerated unless you add natural peanut butter.
French Vinaigrette
This one is genuine, because it’s from my French friend Mireille. She makes it in the bottom of her salad bowl, adds greens on top and tosses when it’s time to serve. I prefer to make a jarful of it. Just think “1 clove of garlic for each salad” and go from there. Also remember 3 to 1 for oil to vinegar.
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Mincing the garlic is the most time consuming part. Here’s my favorite tool. Place all ingredients in the bottom of a salad bowl and mix with a fork. Or make 4-6 times as much in a jar. This one should be refrigerated because of the fresh garlic.
I keep store bought dressing on hand for emergencies, but these are the ones I make and use all the time. Have fun…and feel free to share your favorites!
This post gets a “literal” yum!
hehehe…
On the French Vinaigrette, when you say one garlic clove per salad, do you mean per person’s salad, like if you’re making enough for 6 people, that would be 6 cloves? Or do you mean 1 clove per big serving bowl of salad?
Ha! Good question. The recipe as it’s written would be for a big bowl of salad for say 4-6. A jar of dressing might contain 5 garlic cloves and 5 times everything else. I can’t guarantee that I would use exactly a fifth of it on each salad, tho ;). I’m a little heavy handed when it comes to pouring!