<p>I am looking for a few good salad dressing recipes. The kids have graduated beyond Ranch dressing and I am looking for italian style to make at home. D is picky. She has been liking Girauds Italian but is tired of it. I like a dressing I buy from a local cafe but H finds it too sweet. H will not eat any dressing with anchovy in it.</p>
<p>Girad’s champagne is wonderful. There are millions of homemade recipe. Go to food network.com and search. You’ll find LOTS of recipes.</p>
<p>I keep Mark Bittman’s vinaigrette in my fridge all the time. I usually make it with fresh lemon juice, sometimes balsamic, and rarely bother with the shallots.</p>
<p>I almost never buy salad dressing. It’s really easy to make your own, which is cheaper and tastes better. Even if you get the most expensive EVOO, you’ll still come out ahead. One vinaigrette that I make all the times is this one (not sweet at all):</p>
<p>Lemon Vinaigrette
1/4 c. EVOO
2T lemon juice (use fresh lemons)
1/2t crushed mustard seeds
1-2t finely minced garlic or shallot
1 t. fresh or 1/2t dried thyme
sea salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients by whisking them together–or use a stick blender to combine. This will last in the fridge for 4-5 days.</p>
<p>EXPERIMENT and make fresh dressing every night. You dont have to make more than a few tablespoons at a time and you will get a feel for what you and your family likes.
I never buy dressing and use what I have on hand. I like Bromfields suggestion above. I use what fresh herbs are on hand and tend to like to use balsamic for winter salads and lighten up with lemon in the summer.</p>
<p>Haven’t bought salad dressing in years. I use EVOO and balsamic vinegar. I just pour a little of each on the salad. add some chopped herbs, sea or kosher salt, pepper and toss. Takes less than a minute.</p>
<p>adding some dijon mustard with smooth it out some and thicken it a tad if you want that.</p>
<p>I like to use champagne vinegar in vinaigrette for lighter greens and for summer vegetable salads (blanched green beans, tomatoes, basil and feta: YUM!)</p>
<p>I have been fantasizing about real tomatoes and being able to pick my salad from my backyard. Seed packets arrived this week; summer can’t come soon enough. (mafool, I make the same salad with boiled new potatoes and sometimes a can of tuna on top.)</p>
<p>3 parts olive oil, 1 part red wine vinegar, a spoonful or so of Dijon mustard per half cup olive oil, some salt. Add some fresh herbs if you happen to have any. In the summer, add one or two pureed fresh tomatoes. In the winter puree the whole thing with avocado if you’re lucky enough to have one lying around.</p>
<p>I have no idea why anyone buys salad dressing.</p>
<p>I do Cardinal Fang’s recipe except I usually use balsamic vinegar. Sometimes I like to change things up and use raspberry wine vinegar. I’ve never tried adding pureed tomatoes. Sometimes I put in a chopped garlic clove.</p>
<p>my college age nephew makes a ton of his own dressings…using sesame seeds in one, poppy seeds in another…oriental/asian flavors…tuscany flavors…probably can look up on-line Google for more ideas…you can get ideas looking at shelves of specialty food stores…trader joe’s has a yummy pear vinagrette and others…whole foods has a section on exotic dressings in their refrigerated section…maybe you could “copy” some of those at home to make your own!</p>
<p>I’ll have to look for that pear vinaigrette next week, when I am in striking distance of Trader Joe’s. I have been eating a lot of greens this winter with sliced pears, bleu cheese, walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette. Delish.</p>
<p>Does anyone have a recipe for a nice creamy dressing, maybe yogurt-based?</p>
<p>This is from Heartburn, by Nora Ephron: Mix 2 T Dijon mustard with 2 T red wine vinegar. Whisk in 6 T EVOO, 1 T at a time. It is delicious. And a very fun book with lots of other recipes.</p>
<p>Hi Mom60:</p>
<p>I was just looking in my gi-normous recipe binder for Passover recipes and came across this wonderful sounding vinagrette made with only 5 ingredients! I cut it out of Cooking Light Magazine 3 years ago because it sounded good, but I have not made it yet!</p>
<p>Maybe now I will, since it sounds so easy:</p>
<p>Orange Sesame Dressing</p>
<p>1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds</p>
<p>Combine all ingredients in a small bowl with a wire whisk. Great on salads, salmon fillets, tofu, etc. Enjoy! Let me know if you make it before I do! :)</p>
<p>You can make any dressing you want.</p>
<p>You need one part acid to three parts oil. </p>
<p>If you are going to put salt in your dressing put it in with the vinegar or lemon or lime or tomato or grapefruit juice at the bottom of the measuring cup. (for orange or grapefruit juice, add a touch of lemon to up the acidity.) </p>
<p>You can put mustard in with the acid, or herbs, whatnot, I like to put shallots.</p>
<p>Get a whisk and the oil (this is why doing it in a measuring cup is best.) First whisk the acid, salt, herbs, whatnot, until the salt is dissolved, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while you whisk. This will emulsify the dressing.</p>
<p>You can also do this at the bottom of your wooden salad bowl before you toss in the greens.</p>
<p>The first time my kids saw bottled salad dressing they were shocked.</p>