What's your favorite vinaigrettte type salad dressing recipe?

[Cindy in C-ville]

I am in search. I see absolutely no reason to spend money on a salad dressing with tons of preservatives, sugar, etc., when I can whip one up from a little oil and vinegar at home. Problem is, I can't whip one up. They don't come out quite right. So, I'm coming to the brightest women on the planet who surely possess the very best of the best salad dresssing recipe. Help .... please?

TIA!
Cindy

[plansrme]

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_22263,00.html

I got it from Rachel Ray's cookbook, but it's the same as on the link above. I make it in bulk and keep it in the fridge--just shake and pour. I think I only use 1 t. sugar, though this calls for 2. I serve it on a salad of romaine, mandarin oranges, chopped pecans, chopped cucumber and kosher salt, with or without grilled chicken. We love it, I give it away all the time (new baby meals, that sort of thing) and everyone asks for the recipe.

Terri

[~Tara~]

We just throw some EVOO and vinegar into a bottle with a pinch of garlic and a dash of italian seasoning and call it good.
I don't measure.
We're sporadic with our dressing usage so I don't make a full bottle at a time. I just use an old rice vinegar bottle, dump in probably a tsp to a tsp + 1/2 of minced garlic, then a tsp or so of Italian seasoning (not the dressing mix stuff...the mixed green herbs in the spice section..oregano, thyme, whatever is in that mix) a few tbsp of oil and equal amount of vinegar. Our current fave is this Raspberry one. Oh my goodness, that's good! Found out that really kicks up our cashew chicken too..wow baby, that's good stuff!!

[Mom2legomaniacs]

I can't recall the recipe entirely now, but I'll keep thinking.

It was balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard as the base. I can't recall the spices or amounts.

Another is that I get the packets of Good Season's Italian and make it with Balsamic. Love that one.

[6packofun]

I can't recall the recipe entirely now, but I'll keep thinking.

It was balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard as the base. I can't recall the spices or amounts.

Another is that I get the packets of Good Season's Italian and make it with Balsamic. Love that one.

Same here on both counts. I love a dressing/vinaigrette with *mustard*! :iagree:

[jail warden]

It looks YUMMY!!!:drool:

[PariSarah]

(Same with homemade mayo, BTW. If you can't get homemade mayo to work, try a little glob of mustard before you start adding the oil.)

Our recipe--which I don't even bother to measure anymore, just eyeball it, is a minced garlic clove, a little squirt of mustard (dijon or spicy brown, somewhere between a tsp and a tbl), and a third a cup of balsamic vinegar. Whisk that together. Then SLOWLY add 2/3 c olive oil (or half olive oil and half veggie oil if you're watching the budget), while whisking. It helps to do the whisk like Daniel-san in Karate Kid II--rubbing in between your hands so that it's going extra fast.

If you want an asian-style vinaigrette, do the same thing, only use minced fresh ginger for the garlic, rice vinegar for the balsamic, and add two tblsp soy sauce with the vinegar part. Then use plain oil for the oil part, and add a couple shakes of dark sesame oil at the end. Also add a tblsp of sesame seeds after everything is mixed.

FYI: Rice and balsamic vinegar are the two mildest. If you use other, stronger vinegars, you'll need to use more oil.

[Cindy in C-ville]

Thanks, brilliant women! Off to concoct!

:) Cindy