Dressings

Why make your own dressing? 

• Cheaper 
• Healthier
• Tastes better – flavor to your own tastes

All you need is a few ingredients and a way to mix the ingredients properly. You can use a bowl and whisk/fork, or you can grab a jar with a lid and give it all a good shake. You can also use a blender if you have ingredients that are a little larger like an onion or raspberries.   

How to make any vinaigrette 

• ½ cup oil 1 T Dijon Mustard 
• ¼ cup acid
• 1 tbsp flavorings
• 1 tbsp sweetener
• Pepper

Types of ingredients 

• Oils: Use a flavorful oil like avocado. You can save money by using an extra virgin olive oil which is flavorful and can be used in other cooking techniques (less ingredients to purchase!).
  
• Acid: The most popular acids are lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and balsamic vinegar. You can use other acids to your tastes, like lime juice, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar.
• Mustard: Dijon mustard compliments most acids and is quite useful to emulsify oil and vinegar. So, it makes the dressing taste better and helps combine the oil and vinegar.
• Salt and pepper: These ingredients are useful in all recipes to enhance the ingredients.  Salt should be added last as the other ingredients can season the dressing enough and can taste overly salty if added too soon.
• Sweetener: Adding a little sweetness helps balance all the strong flavors. You can use honey, maple syrup or even sugar. Honey is commonly used because it's so flavorful and helps with emulsion.
• Herbs: Herbs can make the dressing your own. You can use fresh or dried. They are not a required ingredient but can bring a dressing to a new level. Basil, thyme, rosemary are fairly common, but you can try any herb.
• Enhancements: There are other ingredients you can add to customize your dressing. Fruit is a popular ingredient to add. Citrus is common, but mashed berries can really make a dressing special.  Raspberries and strawberries can be quite tasty. Garlic and ginger are other items that can really make a dressing special.