What is your favorite homemade salad dressing?

[enjoy the ride]

Since I have been making my own salad dressing, I no long like bottled dressing at all.
My own favorite receipe is:

3/4 c olive oil
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grey poupon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar (or substitute)
several grinds of black pepper

All amounts are approximate as I tend to wing it a lot.

Easy to make and good for most green salads.

So what is your favorite to make?

 

[patandchickens]

I'm not enough of a recipe-following person to have a really stable way of making it but I do something like:

find a clean jar
pour in about 2" of cider vinegar, or cider v. w/ a little balsamic,
or white v. w/a little balsamic
stir in a grated clove of garlic (I use one of those microplane graters
for this, and LOVE it), some black pepper, and whatever chopped
or dried herbs are handy
stir in a very small blob of prepared mustard
sometimes stir in a small blob of honey
pour in about 1" of oil
shake like heck before using.

Pat

 

[miss_thenorth]

I'm not enough of a recipe-following person to have a really stable way of making it but I do something like:

find a clean jar
pour in about 2" of cider vinegar, or cider v. w/ a little balsamic,
or white v. w/a little balsamic
stir in a grated clove of garlic (I use one of those microplane graters
for this, and LOVE it), some black pepper, and whatever chopped
or dried herbs are handy
stir in a very small blob of prepared mustard
sometimes stir in a small blob of honey
pour in about 1" of oil
shake like heck before using.

Pat

You "cook" like I cook. Any salad dressing i make has to have balsamic vinegar in it, and sometimes, if there are lots of goodies in the salad, all i add is balsamic.

 

[Beekissed]

Instead of trying to get the oil mixed with the vinegar, we just pour the olive oil directly on our salads, add the spices, then the vinegar/water solution. Saves from having to clean up the bottle after its done(we just make more vinegar mix and keep some in the cabinet), all the spices being at the bottom, and constantly shaking to get it to mix right before you apply.

 

[me&thegals]

Marys French dressing

1 cup sugar (I usually cut out cup)
1 cup oil (I replace half with any fruit juice)
1 medium onion
1 t dry mustard
1 t salt
t pepper
1 t paprika
1 cup ketchup
1 cup vinegar

Use any single kind or blend of oils and vinegars that you enjoy most. You can cut out at least of the sugar if desired. Ive also replaced sugar with honey, raw sugar, etc. To cut down fat, feel free to replace up to half with fruit juice. Ive used orange, apple and grape with great success. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree on high until smooth. Lasts in fridge for weeks.

 

[enjoy the ride]

Beekissed- I do something similar for a large salad to be served to a group but it's harded to do that with a single- it's harder to get such small amounts right.
me&thegals- I'm going to try that one - or at least a version of it- I can't help tinkering.

 

[Beekissed]

I just make the vinegar/water mix in a quart plastic pour container. Then everyone gets to build their own salad, season it the way they want, etc. One time they got a taste of how I did mine and now they want me to build them one "just like yours, Mom"! Our salads are so full of stuff that we make a meal out of just salad. They are large and filling, so its an easy meal for us. We cut up enough salad for a couple of days and store it in ziploc bags. We try to make sure the ingredients are good and dry before storing and all the air is expelled from the bag before sealing. This keeps them fresh longer. I've been told, by guests, that our salads are addictive!

In a typical salad of ours:

Pasta
Romaine Lettuce
Green Peppers
Onions
Celery
Broccoli
Purple cabbage
Hot pepper flakes
Nature's Seasoning (no msg)Blend of spices and salt.
Parmesan cheese
Tuna, drained
Red wine vinegar, diluted with water
Olive oil, about a Tbs. each salad
Tomatoes when in season

It resembles more of a thick soup when fixed, with the ingredients chopped fine enough to eat with a large spoon. This way the dressing can be scooped up with each mouthful and there is none wasted and left in the bowl. My mother, the vegetarian, got us hooked on these, but she doesn't add the meat or cheese.

 

[me&thegals]

Oooh--beekissed--that sounds great!

 

[FarmerChick]

I don't like alot of dressings at all.....I tried making Ranch dressing but honestly, I love Hidden Valley Light Ranch over anything I can make..HA HA

I am not a vinegar person so those types don't do it for me. I am a boring salad dressing person. A little Kraft French every now and then but I rely on my HV Ranch..LOL

 

[Hiedi]

This is so easy, and I found that I could make this for a fraction of the cost for what I was paying for the Newman's brand.


Honey Mustard Dressing

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, honey, and lemon juice. Store covered in refrigerator.