When my Mom gave me her handwritten recipe books last year I was delighted to have her collection of favorite recipes. Much to my surprise there were quite a few recipes for homemade salad dressings. I love salad and can be found eating it frequently, especially in the warm summer months. All of dressings are so easy to make and they save money too. That’s never a bad thing.
The first salad dressing I absolutely love is an orange dressing. It’s a burst of Florida sunshine that is refreshing. Serve it over field greens or a green salad that includes orange segments or mandarin oranges.
Florida Sunshine Orange Dressing
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice or your favorite orange juice brand (I like Tropicana)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
In a small bowl, combine orange juice and vinegar and whisk together. Gradually whisk in olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper. Dress salad.
Ranch dressing is another favorite of mine. I know it’s not the healthiest for you but I can’t help but choose it when I have protein on my salad such as grilled chicken or beef. I’ll often have my husband grill an extra chicken breast specifically for my salad. This is full of flavor especially since fresh herbs are used.
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk and mayonnaise until fully combined. Add remaining ingredients and whisk to mix. Adjust seasonings to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
This cranberry vinaigrette is perfect for fall. It’s great on a salad of field greens with chopped apple and blue cheese. If it’s too tart for you add a bit of sugar to taste. You’ll need your blender for this recipe.
Cranberry Vinaigrette
1/3 cup olive oil
½ cup fresh cranberries
1 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon water
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste
Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve and store leftover in refrigerator.
Once you start making homemade salad dressings, you’ll never look at a bottled dressing the same. I also love the green aspect of making my salad dressing. No plastic bottles to recycle or wind up in the dump. A glass jar, cruet or small pitcher is the perfect vessel to serve and store these dressings. The fresh flavors and cost savings will put you on a mission to find more.
