Salad Dressing

Salad Dressings

I can’t eat a “dry” salad.  I am just not there yet.  And yet, looking for dressings at the store was just depressing….with all the additives and HFCS.  So, I took a tip from Rachel Ray, who said on one of her shows…. “salad dressings are nothing but some things that sound good to you at the moment, thrown together, and mixed up, sometimes they are good and sometimes not.”  I now live by this statement when it comes to dressings and marinades.  But this is a recipe for my most used dressing and one my family loves.

¼ cup of balsamic vinegar – a rich dark one

¼ cup of water or grape seed oil (if I have it)

¾ - 1 cup of olive oil….sometimes I use extra virgin – it depends on the meal or salad

And a spattering of seasonings – mostly garlic granules, kosher salt, pepper, parsley, oregano and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. 

I currently use a shaker meant for protein shakes, and it works fine to shake all this up together.  Letting it sit for a bit and letting the oils absorb the spices, leads to a more flavorful dressing. 

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Here is another to try!

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Mix all this stuff together and shake well.

1 ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar
¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic
1 Tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper (lighten up if you don’t want a kick)
2 Teaspoons Coarse Ground Black Pepper
1 Teaspoons Salt
2 Teaspoons Garlic Salt
½ Teaspoon Ground Mustard
1 Teaspoon Parsley