Making a few homemade salad dressings ahead of time is a great way to make it WAY more likely you’ll eat more salads. This recipe is a lovely, fresh and nutrition-packed dressing that will liven up your greens and get you in the dressing-making habit. I’ve included a few tips for that below.
I like to have a few staples on hand to make different kinds of vinaigrettes and other salad dressings, so I can keep my salad routine interesting, flavorful and varied.Â
Here are good staples to keep in mind. You can start with just a few and build your stock over time.
Dry Pantry Dressing Staples
- Balsamic Vinegar (A high quality one is worth the money)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Look for single origin, which means coming from only one country)
- Sea Salt and Peppermill with Black Peppercorns
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Rice Vinegar (original)
- Tamari or Dark Soy Sauce (low sodium)
- Toasted Sesame Oil
- Canola Oil
- Peanut Oil
- Dried Dill Weed
- Shallots/Red Onion
- Anchovies (Canned)
Fresh/Refrigerated Dressing Staples
- Lemon/Lime
- Dijon or other Brown Mustard
- Parsley
- Mayonnaise
- Fresh Ginger Root
- Stems of Cilantro and Parsley can be Blended in a Blended Dressing
- AvocadoÂ
- Leftover Pickle Juice
- Egg Yolk
Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
Yields: 1 cup vinaigrette
Serves: Covers about 10-12 salads.
Ingredients:
- 2 large lemons
- â…” cup olive oil
- ½ small shallot (optional)
- 1 or 2 cloves garlic (adjust to taste)
- 3 teaspoons honey
- ¼ cup parsley leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
Directions:
Mince garlic cloves. Remove the parsley stems and save for stock. Rough chop the parsley.
Roll lemons under your forearm to release juices before slicing in half. [Tip: Zest them first if you need zest for another recipe. Can keep in a small amount of oil in the fridge for a week or so until use.]
Juice lemons and add to small bowl. Add remaining ingredients and whisk well to emulsify. Taste with a lettuce leaf and adjust ingredients to your taste.
Label and date before refrigeration.
Empowered Kitchen Tip:
I recommend doubling this recipe so you always have a stock of it in your refrigerator.