Today I woke up a little early and started putting together a salad for our lunches. I'd been thinking about it since yesterday when I went on a Costco run and also received my CSA farm food. Romaine lettuce, (leftover) asparagus, cucumbers, feta cheese, rotisserie chicken, and garbanzo beans (I splurged and bought a Costco case of garbanzo beans!). All I needed to do was wash, rinse, and chop. And make a salad dressing.
Salad dressing is something that I rarely buy in a bottle. Growing up, my mom would always make her own vinaigrette from scratch (and still does!). I also learned how to make simple ones while I lived in Paris from 2003-2005. Since I learned how easy and delicious it was, I've never gone back to the bottle - except for ranch.
Recently, my husband asked if I could get a little more creative with my dressings. I didn't blame him. My standard is vinegar or lemon juice, Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little honey. Sometimes I feel wild and will throw in some Herbes de Provence. Today, I decided I'd experiment a little further with something creamy.
The ingredient list. Notice the jar of mustard is empty. I used it because it only had a little left.
Remember to use what you've got!
I looked in my fridge and found sour cream and milk. I checked out my cupboards and saw balsamic vinegar. Hmm. Why not? I mixed them. Here's the recipe:
Creamy (Light*) Balsamic Dressing (makes about 1 cup)
1/4 c. (light) mayonnaise
3 Tbsp (light) sour cream
1/4 c. milk
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp whole grain mustard (you could use dijon also, there would just be less texture)
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
salt & pepper to taste
*because we're trying to lose weight
Mix all the ingredients together. Top your favorite green salad. Enjoy!
Love homemade dressing! This looks delish! - Allison
ReplyDeleteHave you seen this?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.seriouseats.com/2011/06/salad-dressing-bottle-recipe.html
My inadvertent method of losing vacation weight: I got all 4 of my wisdom teeth out the week after I got back from the cruise. :P It's totally working, I have very little appetite and cravings. I went to a delicious bridal shower yesterday and was so sad, I could only nibble!