Salad Dressings

We love salad! Usually, we have salad for supper as the main dish once a week, sometimes more often...especially in the summer! If salad isn't the main dish, we often have a small salad with our supper. With a little planning, salads are quick and easy...and GOOD!

My downfall with salads is the dressing. I love salad dressings! They can make or break the salad. Jacob often eats his salads without the dressing, while Jeff likes Dorthy Lynch or French dressing. I like to be adventurous and try different salad dressings...which leads to the main purpose of this post. Salad dressings! I made 2 different salad dressings today, both new recipes (House Salad Dressing and Grandma's Salad Dressing.) I'm not sure where I got the recipes, they've been kicking around in my recipe box, scribbled on a sticky note. I made a few minor changes (used Splenda instead of sugar, 1/2 an onion instead of a whole and decreased the oil in both.) I also used Light Olive Oil instead of Canola, which the recipes called for. I'm also posting a tried and true salad dressing recipe, Mixed Herb Salad Dressing, which I love. I think these dressings would be awesome with fresh herbs! Feel free to use real sugar instead of Splenda, the full 1 cup of Canola oil, decrease or increase the onion/garlic or anything else to make them according to your tastes!

Enjoy~


House Salad Dressing
1/2 c. white vinegar
2 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. honey
1 T. sesame oil
1 t. dried rosemary
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried marjoram
1 t. dry mustard powder
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 c. light olive oil

In a food processor, whirl all ingredients together except olive oil. Pulse 3-4 times. Turn on the food processor, and in a slow and steady stream, pour in the oil. Pour into an empty jar, or vinaigrette shaker. Refrigerate overnight. If you don't have a food processor, you can use a blender. Or you also could whisk the ingredients together, and whisk before serving.

This salad dressing was pretty good. Next time I would decrease the garlic to 1 clove...it was a little too garlicy for my taste. This would make an awesome marinade for chicken! I will keep this in my recipe file! Hope you do, too!


Grandma's Salad Dressing
1/2 c. light olive oil
3/4 c. white vinegar
1 c. Splenda
1/2 c. ketchup
1 T. honey
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 onion chopped

In a food processor, whirl the onion until finely chopped. Add the other ingredients except the oil. Pulse 3-4 times. Turn on the food processor and in a slow and steady stream, pour in the oil. Pour into an empty jar or vinaigrette shaker. Refrigerate overnight. If you don't have a food processor, you can use a blender. Or you also could whisk the ingredients together, and whisk before serving.

This salad dressing is similar to Catalina. It was good, but a little too sweet. Next time I will decrease the Splenda/sugar to 2/3 c. instead of 1 cup. I was a little strong in the onion department and I was worried it would overpower the salad. However, the flavor worked well once it was on the salad. I will keep this recipe in my file! Enjoy~


Mixed Herb Salad Dressing
6 T. white vinegar
6 T. light olive oil
1 finely chopped shallot
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. dried chives
1/2 t. dried chervil
1/2 t. dried tarragon
1/2 t. dried dill weed

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, oil, shallot and seasonings until blended. Refrigerate.

LOVE THIS ONE! It reminds me of the house dressings in Germany.




Left: Mixed Herb Salad Dressing
Middle: Grandma's Salad Dressing
Right: House Salad Dressing