What is your favorite homemade salad dressing? Recipes welcome, of course. :)

[mother earth]

Tried and true are always best.

[elleng]

1. Fresh squeezed lemon,

recipe unnecessary!

[mother earth]

6. Fresh lemons...always a must have.

[Liberal Jesus Freak]

15. Me too!

My current fave is arugula with a little sea salt and the juice of two lemons. I finish by drinking the salty lemon juice that's left. Mmmmmmm-- I think I'll have some now

[PeaceNikki]

2. Lebanese Lemon Salad dressing

Olive oil, fresh lemon juice and a smidgeon of mashed garlic.

1 clove of garlic, chopped and mashed with salt
1/2 large lemon, squeezed
1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
salt, to taste
sprinkle of dried mint (optional)

METHOD:
Peel and dice the clove of garlic, 10 seconds
Mash the clove of garlic with a pinch of salt in a mortar, 25 seconds
Transfer to a small bowl; squeeze half of a lemon over the garlic, 6 seconds
Add the olive oil and whip the mixture, 11 seconds
Add a dash of dried mint if desired, 4 seconds
TOTAL: 56 seconds

http://www.tasteofbeirut.com/2010/03/lebanese-salad-dressing-in-56-seconds/

[antiquie]

4. Thanks

for the tasteofbeirut link.

[mother earth]

5. Sounds wonderful, I will have to try this. Thanks for the link too. :)

[cbayer]

3. I like all kinds. While I often make my own and vary the ingredients

depending on what it is going in, I have a few favorites from Trader Joe's that I always keep on hand.

Champagne Pear Vinaigrette

Cranberry, Walnut & Gorgonzola Salad Dressing

[cbayer]

7. OK, I just made a killer caesar dressing (recipe below)

I used anchovy paste (1 T) and an immersion blender. I'm eating before I've even cut the lettuce.

1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 oil-packed anchovies
4 large cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 large egg yolk
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (1/2 cup)

In a liquid measuring cup, combine the canola and olive oils. Put the remaining dressing ingredients except the Parmigiano in a blender and blend until thoroughly combined. With the motor running on medium high, carefully pour in the oils in a slow, steady stream. The dressing will emulsify as soon as all of the oil is incorporated. Stop the motor, add the Parmigiano, and quickly blend to combine. (You can store the dressing, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)

[eridani]

10. What do you think would happen if you included the egg white?

I just hate, hate HATE recipes that call for only whites or yolks, unless paired with other recipes that use the unused part of the egg.

Presuming that the cheese has to be fresh, and not the Kraft stuff.

[cbayer]

11. I have an aversion to egg whites, so this suits me fine.

Anyway, I think it might make the dressing slimy.

You can always use the whites with another egg for an omelet or scrambled, couldn't you? Don't they even sell just containers of whites for people that don't want to eat the less healthy yolks?

I used a relatively inexpensive parmesan, because that is what I had, but grated it myself, which is what I think makes the difference. I never use that powdery stuff in the jar.

[mother earth]

16. My favorite! :)

[cbayer]

17. If you are not a garlic lover, I would cut back on the garlic in this one.

But if you are, this is one incredible dressing, imo.

[mother earth]

27. Garlic is the best part of every recipe. Apply liberally...:)

And it's good for you.

[HappyMe]

23. I love caesar salad.

Sometimes I toss in some shrimp or chicken.

[mother earth]

28. Steak or salmon works well too...with extra parmesan shavings of course.

[eridani]

8. Balsamic vinaigrette

All to taste--brown sugar, garlic, basil and oregano in balsamic vinegar. Add EVOO to tast

[eridani]

9. Lemongrass ginger garlic dressing

1 cup canola oil
¼ to 1 cup water (to adjust thickness)
½ cup mirin or dry sherry
1 cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup orange concentrate
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs basil
1 tbs sesame oil
4 cloves peeled and sliced garlic
3 tbs peeled and sliced ginger
1 cup lemongrass
1 tbs lemon juice
3 lecithin capsules

Put cut-up lemongrass, garlic and ginger into blender and extract with vinegar. Pour off liquid through a sieve into a jar. Put solids back into blender and extract with wine and some water. Pour off liquid through a sieve into a jar. Put solids back into blender and extract with canola oil. Pour off liquid through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a jar. Squeeze the cheesecloth to extract all flavor. Put sesame oil, orange juice concentrate, soy sauce, lemon juice, basil and a little water into blender and extract. Remove to jar, rinse blender with a little water and add to jar with contents of lecithin capsules. Shake well and adjust thickness with water or canola oil as necessary. Refrigerate.

[noamnety]

12. Mayo and balsamic vinegar

Homemade mayo (one egg, 1 cup oil, some salt and vinegar - hit with stick blender.
Mix with the balsamic vinegar, add some sumac.

For a creamy vegan dressing - buzz an avocado and a tomato with balsamic vinegar and the sumac.

[mother earth]

18. I'm not familiar with sumac. Had to look that one up.

[noamnety]

22. I'm disappointed that I didn't know about sumac

back when I had sumac trees. I knew what they were, just not that the berries could be used in cooking, or for sumac-ade.

[Melissa G]

13. My friend likes this lemon tahini dressing below

lemon/tahini dressing

2/3 cup lemon juice

1-1/4 c water

1/2 c olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 c tahini

I am partial to a Gorgonzola ranch my neighborhood pizza place makes...have yet to get the recipe.

[mother earth]

19. Looks interesting, I'll have to give this one a try soon. nt

[japple]

25. Thanks, Melissa. That looks really good. Will have to give it

a try.

[intheflow]

14. Very simple tarragon vinaigrette.

I never measure anything but I could guess 1 part tarragon vinegar to 2 parts olive oil. A little garlic (or garlic powder), some salt and pepper, lemon to taste (I usually give 1/2 a lemon a good squeeze).

Also works pretty well with red or white wine vinaigrettes. Probably balsamic, though balsamic is too much for me so I would never use it. Tarragon is my favorite with this recipe, though.

[mother earth]

20. TY, intheflow, with you on the balsamic, sometimes it is a bit much, but I think that is when it is

a good balsamic, it's more concentrated or aged?

[grasswire]

21. green goddess

1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp worcestershire
2 T anchovy paste (optional if you hate 'em)
3 T tarragon wine vinegar (or wine vinegar + dried tarragon)
3 T snipped chives
1/3 cup snipped parsley
1 cup Best Foods mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1/8 tsp pepper

This is especially good with crudites and has a real affinity for raw cauliflower, IMO.

[mother earth]

29. This is another favorite, make extra...just in case.

[guardian]

24. Penzeys buttermilk ranch

homemade, but uses Penzeys spice mix.

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysbuttermilk.html

America's homegrown dressing; ranch style salad dressing is lower in fat than most, as it uses buttermilk for flavor and body. Ranch style dressing is also excellent for fresh vegetable dip, or sprinkled on baked chicken or fish, 1-2 tsp. per lb. To make 1 Cup dressing, mix 1 TB. seasoning in 1 TB. water, let stand five minutes, then whisk with ½ Cup buttermilk and ½ Cup mayonnaise. Also excellent as a fresh vegetable dip. For a lower calorie version use low-fat mayonnaise, or up the proportion of buttermilk, which will make the dressing thinner, but equally tasty. Ranch dressing should be refrigerated, check the freshness date on the buttermilk carton, and write it on the dressing bottle. Hand-mixed from: salt, bell peppers, garlic, onion, sugar, black pepper, parsley, thyme, basil.

[mother earth]

31. TY, guardian, 1:1 buttermilk/mayo, splash of water and spices...how easy does it get? nt

[applegrove]

26. 2 tbsp high quality balsamic vinagrette. 2 tbsp high quality extra virgin olive oil. 1 tsp

mustard. 1 tsp garlic. Maple syrup to taste. Yummy.

[mother earth]

30. This one is another must have, esp. if you are entertaining and offering a choice of

dressings. TY