5 minutes to Fresh Salad Dressing – a Vinaigrette Lesson

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Prep 5 mins  Eat 5 mins

Never buy another bottle of salad dressing! Learn tro make your own fresh Vinaigrette. Farmers markets are brimming full of the best salad ingredients of the season right now like these heirloom tomatoes.  Once you learn how easy it is to make a fresh vinaigrette with lots of variations, you will be on your way to a limitless supply of salad dressings for all your summer salads.  Here’s a lesson to get you started. 

Main Dish Salads cooking class students having fun making their own salad dressings.

In our Main Dish Salads class we explored how to make your own vinaigrette without a recipe. I call it the Vinaigrette Lesson – Fresh Food in a Flash style. I rarely or never buy salad dressings in a bottle, when I can make a fresh one so easily. There is no comparison in quality. I know this may sound arrogant, but really, it takes no more than five minutes to make a fresh vinaigrette, so give it a try and it will change your salad making life. All you need are a few ingredients that are probably already in your pantry.

I created a simple grid to help students with creating their own vinaigrette. There are basically three to four components to every vinaigrette. The fat (generally an oil), the acid (like vinegar or lemon juice) the flavorings (like garlic, honey or mustard), the seasonings (like salt & pepper or herbs).

Italian parsley, basil, oregano, fennel fronds and fresh green fennel seeds.

For example, you could create a raspberry vinaigrette by combining olive oil, a champagne or red vinegar, strained raspberry juice, and an herb like basil.  Fresh herbs really make a big difference.  If you have fennel growing in your garden, harvest the seeds when they are green.  This is an amazing herb that is soft for only a day or two, before it hardens and lands in your spice jar.

A classic vinaigrette – olive oil, red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard.

The next consideration is the ratio of oil to acid. Old school vinaigrettes contain three parts oil to one part vinegar, but most people today prefer a ratio of two to one, unless you have a really biting acid like an inexpensive balsamic vinegar. If you are on a diet, you may be trying to eliminate fat, so you could replace some of the fat with flavor ingredients like a vegetable or chicken stock or a fresh juice like apple or orange juice.  The Dijon mustard, mayonnaise or an egg in your vinaigrette acts as an emulsifier, meaning when you shake or whisk your dressing, it will hold together instead of separate.

This assortment of vinaigrette ingredients was found in my pantry.

Use high quality ingredients like Bragg’s Olive Oil, Organic Raw & Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar and Liquid Aminos for seasoning.

Experiment and find out what you like or what will go well with the ingredients in your salad.  You will be surprised at what you have on hand already.  Bragg Products founded by Patricia Bragg’s father in 1912, sent me a few of our salad ingredients after I got to know about their health story at Camp Blogaway.  The raw & unfiltered apple cider vinegar is one of their most popular products and the Liquid Aminos is a natural soy sauce and tamari alternative that is promoted as a healthy all purpose seasoning.

Caprese Salad loves olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Try making your own vinaigrette tonight. You could drizzle a simple olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper vinaigrette on a Caprese Salad of heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. Any salad will love a basic vinaigrette with olive oil, red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard or do something more elaborate. Here’s some links to some of my popular salad recipes.
Red and Green Salad
Bibb and Arugula Salad with Pecorino Romano
Caesar Brussels Sprouts
Southwestern Quinoa Salad
Crab and Avocado Salad
Cucumber Ribbon Salad
Italian Farro Salad
Green Papaya Salad

Print Vinaigrette Lesson

Print Vinaigrette Recipe

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 pinch salt & pepper to taste

1. Mix all ingredients together in a salad dressing shaker or in a bowl.

Servings: 8    61 calories per serving

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5 from 1 vote

Vinaigrette

My Vinaigrette Lesson teaches you how to make your own fresh Vinaigrette in only 5 minutes. This is a 2-1 formula for a basic vinaigrette. The traditional is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar which might be better for a harsh acid like an inexpensive balsamic vinegar. To this recipe, you can add a variety of seasonings or flavorings to make it "your own". Experiment and find something you like or to highlight specific salad ingredients

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Total Time5 minutes mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: French, Italian

Servings: 8

Calories: 61kcal

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 pinch salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together in a salad dressing shaker or in a bowl.
• ENJOY THIS RECIPE FROM FreshFoodinaFlash.com

Nutrition

Calories: 61kcal