When ever we entertain and have guests over for dinner, I am always surprised at how impressed our friends are with our homemade salad dressings. I guess everyone’s tastes buds have been fried by all the preservatives and flavorings in store-bought vinaigrettes nowadays, because mine are not “delicacies.” Or at least we don’t think so! Our salad dressings are super easy to make and are extremely healthy to eat, so that’s why we do it. Maybe they are more “fancy” than I used to think. I’ll let you be the judge. 🙂
Table of Contents:
- Types Of Vinegar
- Basic Vinaigrette Recipe
- Cream Vinaigrette Recipe
- Sweet Vinaigrette Recipe
Types of Vinegar
Before I share my recipes, we need to “talk vinegars” for a minute. Certainly not all vinegars are created equal and some are flat-out horrible for you.
White Distilled – Colorless and sharp, white vinegar is made by the acid fermentation of distilled alcohol – distilled from assorted grains. We use this for cleaning and washing fruit and vegetables from the store.
Apple Cider Vinegar – Made from apples that are fermented, it has a slightly fruity flavor and a strong bite. The best quality of apple cider vinegar is raw and unfiltered. This strong, clear, brown vinegar holds up well with pungent greens and is especially good in marinades. Cider vinegar is the best all-around choice for everything especially terrific in cold rice or pasta salads.
Red or white wine vinegar – Made from any number of red or white wines, this vinegar is full bodied and perfect for dressing pungent, dark greens. Wine vinegars are ideal for mayonnaise and all kinds of salad dressings. They are also used in many classic butter sauces, such as béarnaise, often made with white wine vinegar and served with fish. A dash of fine wine vinegar adds distinction to rich meat or game stews. Wine vinegars are made from fermented grapes. The quality usually depends on the type of grape used. Wine Vinegars are quite similar to wines, coming with flavors like red wine, rice wine, white wine, and many more.
Balsamic – A dark, sweet, syrupy vinegar. Use it on salads, in sauces, or drizzled over fresh fruit.
“This extraordinary, wine-based vinegar is still made in the northern part of Italy just as it has been for centuries. It is a mellow, sweet-and-sour vinegar with a heady fragrance. It must, by law, be aged for a decade in a variety of kegs made of particular kinds of wood; some batches are aged much longer. The vinegar is transferred from red oak kegs to chestnut, mulberry and juniper in turn, mellowing at each stage. Eventually, a warm, red-brown color and incredible fragrance are achieved. As a result, the taste is very special. The vinegar can be used in salads, sprinkled on cold meats or over hot vegetables, or to deglaze a pan. We even use it to douse our dessert fruits – an intoxicating habit.”
This is an excerpt from “THE SILVER PALATE COOKBOOK”, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins with Michael McLaughlin , Workman Publishing, New York.1982.
Following are the recipes for our favorite salad dressings:
Basic Vinaigrette Recipe
Basic Vinaigrette
Author: Mama Z
Ingredients
- ¼ cup organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 raw pasture-raised organic egg or ½ tablespoon egg replacer + ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon organic Herbes de Provence
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pink Himalayan salt or sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Supplies:
Instructions
- Pour the vinegar into a blender and blend on low. As the blender runs, slowly add olive oil in a steady stream. Process until the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
- Add egg and Herbes de Provence. Pulse until well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Store in a glass jar.
Cream Vinaigrette Recipe
Creamy Homemade Vinaigrette
Author: Mama Z
Ingredients
- ¼ cup organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 raw pasture-raised organic egg or ½ tablespoon egg replacer + ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons organic unsweetened coconut milk yogurt
- 1 teaspoon organic Herbes de Provence
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pink Himalayan salt or sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Supplies:
Instructions
- Pour the vinegar into a blender and blend on low. As the blender runs, slowly add olive oil in a steady stream. Process until the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
- Add egg, sea salt, pepper, yogurt, and Herbes de Provence. Pulse until well blended.
- Store in a glass jar.
Sweet Vinaigrette Recipe
Sweet Homemade Vinaigrette
Author: Mama Z
Ingredients
- 3 ounces fresh organic fruit (strawberries, raspberries, etc.)
- ¼ cup organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tablespoon egg replacer + ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons raw local organic honey
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pink Himalayan salt or sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- Organic poppy seeds (optional)
- Mint (optional)
Supplies:
Instructions
- Place the fruit and vinegar into a blender and blend on low. As the blender runs, slowly add olive oil in a steady stream. Process until the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
- Add egg replacer and pulse until well blended. Then, add honey, sea salt, and pepper.
- Serve over fruit salad or mixed greens with fresh fruit and flowers. Store in a glass jar.
How about you? What are YOUR favorite vinaigrette recipes?
Need something to put the vinaigrette on? Check out some of our favorite salad recipes!
