Why not make your own salad dressings!
When I was an intern on an organic vegetable farm in Washington, a fellow intern of mine introduced me to the amazingly simple and tasty notion of creating salad dressings from scratch instead of purchasing the corn syrup laden, fatty ones from the store. I was certain at first that I did not have the creative cooking skills to attempt this, but after referencing a few recipes and giving it a try I got the hang of it. I never buy dressing from the store anymore.
The basics of a good dressing:
- Two parts oil- olive, peanut, sesame all work well
- One part vinegar- red wine, cider, rice wine, seasoned rice wine, balsamic and even lemon juice- all delicious
- Seasonings: herbs (basil, thyme, tarragon, oregano and dill work well); peanut butter, tahini, miso paste, soy sauce, dijon mustard, honey mustard
I like to combine ingredients in a glass jar and shake them. Its easy, mess free and then I just keep the jar in the fridge.