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Want to know something about my eating habits?
I eat a salad at least once a day without fail.
The one thing that I love about salads:
There are so many different combinations. You can go sweet (with fruit, honey, and maple syrup) or you can go savory (with cheese, nuts, bacon, or meat/seafood).
If you mix up your combinations, you literally have a lifetime of combinations.
Since I normally have a side salad with lunch or dinner, I usually make my own dressing. I not only save a lot of money, but I can also experiment with different flavors.
One of the most basic types of salad dressings to make is a vinaigrette. The basic recipe is 2 or 3 parts oil to 1 part acid, plus salt, pepper, and herbs to taste.
Different types of oils will give you different tastes for the foundation of your dressing.
- Olive oil (a classic).
- Avocado Oil.
- Walnut oil (my favorite) or another nut oil will really add a nutty flavor punch.
- Seed oils like sunflower seed or flaxseed oils are tasty too.
Experiment with different acids:
- Balsamic vinegar (my staple).
- Other vinegars like white vinegar, cider vinegar, or rice wine vinegar.
- Sherry vinegar, white wine vinegar, or red wine vinegar.
- Try fruit-flavored vinegars for a sweeter option (fig is AWESOME).
To make a creamy, thicker salad dressing, you can add:
- Sour cream
- Greek Yogurt
- Buttermilk
- Mayonnaise or Avocado
- Dijon Mustard
- Tahini
- Peanut Butter
- Honey
If you are looking for a little more flavor, you can throw in some fresh herbs at the end as well.
Here is my staple dressing:
Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 2 TBS balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp djon mustard
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- In a small bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, salt and pepper until blended.
What is your favorite salad combination?
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
My salads usually have no rhyme or reason and I just toss a ton of vegetables together over the top of some greens. I tend to just use vinegar for some acidity and then take each bite with a gob of hummus. For some reason a viniagrette doesn’t always cut it for me, especially because I already use lots of nuts, olives and avocado and I don’t want to toss another tablespoon of oil on top of it all. My favorite combination would have to be a summer salad when tomatoes are at their peak and they mound on top of my plate.
Daniel recently posted..Don’t Look For the Formula
I am a huge fan of the side salad lately. I like entree salads when it’s warm, but smaller sides are perfect for winter. I usually just drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil over my greens, but I occasionally experiment with homemade variations. My favorite salads include fruit and nuts.
Becky recently posted..Think Warm Thoughts
I need to find a salad dressing that I really like. My problem is that I am not a huge fan of vinegrettes or any salad dressing that is sweet in any way.
I sometimes use hummus or salsa for dressing.
How do you like the Nuttzo?
Making your own dressing is a great way to keep salads interesting. I don’t usually do it but it’s definitely something I want to try. I need to start by buying the staples to do it – some different types of oils and vinegars. Do you think coconut oil would work in a salad dressing?
I think it would work in a warm dressing, but I have never tried it.
Coconut oil is only liquid above 75 degrees, so if you have a dressing below that temperature, it’s going to be a clumpy mess.
Give it a shot and let me know!
I love making my own dressings, too! My salads usually involve some sort of combination of greens, cucumbers, avocado, sometimes hearts of palm or artichokes, nutritional yeast, red wine vinegar, sriracha, hummus, chickpeas…you’re right, the possibilities are endless.
Dorry recently posted..Sum-It-Up Saturday- Awards!
Hmm…on a regular (healthy) basis, I suppose a classic Greek combo of feta, kalamata olives, purple onions, cucumbers and mixed greens tossed in some sort of Greek vinaigrette would be my favorite. However, on a not-so-regular, I-don’t-care-about-health-or-calories basis, I’m down for the buffalo chicken, hardboiled eggs, french fries and ranch on iceberg combo
Matt, this is INCREDIBLE!!! I’ve never made my own dressing before (except a pre-package kind, but it’s ingredients are as long as the Constitution of the United States — Admendments included!). Thank you for this!!! Now I know how I can make my own dressing!
Kathleen @ Kat’s Health Corner recently posted..I Am “Coco” For “Choco-Date Muffins”
Salad for the win! I made the salad-dodging boys a massive bowl of colourful goodness yesterday for a BBQ, and was greatly impressed when they polished off the lot. When making dressings, I tend to use half vinegar, half fresh lime juice for the acid. So simple, but can change the whole flavour profile of the dressing.
Neysa recently posted..Shoulders- Sumac Salmon and Salad
I love making my own salad dressings, and this vinaigrette is similar to my go-to recipe. I’ve been meaning to make a trip to the Boston Olive Oil Company for some flavored oils and new vinegars. Like you wrote, there are so many different flavor combinations!
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