Homemade Salad Dressings

[Joanne]

I made a little bit of blue cheese dressing today, and thought I would post some recipes. I don't think I've purchased bottled dressing in years, since I realized how easy it is to make my own...not to mention they taste so much better.

My recipe sharing style is more a guideline. I rarely measure and just mix up most things to taste. I'll give relative starting quantities, and you can adjust to your taste.

My bonus is with my DS, all this is guilt free. My lunch today will be a ton of this blue cheese dressing over a salad made with chopped romaine, leftover boneless buffalo tenders, sliced hard boiled egg, and some cheddar cheese.

Blue Cheese Dressing:
3 tbsp. mayo
3 tbsp. sour cream
1/4 c buttermilk (or cream)
4 oz crumbled blue cheese
Salt and Pepper
Splash white vinegar (I just used apple cider vinegar)
Just put it in a bowl and mix. Voila'

You can also use this as a dip by adding less buttermilk. I put crumbled bacon in the dip version.
If you don't like blue cheese you can turn this into parmesean peppercorn by swapping cheeses, and liberally grinding pepper into it.

Ranch Dressing
2 cloves garlic
Half bunch scallions
Half bunch curly parsley
3 tbsp. mayo
1/2c buttermilk
salt, pepper
Blend in a mini food processor or immersion blender

Easy (no egg) Caesar Dressing
1c mayo
Juice 2 lemons
2 cloves garlic
Heavy splash Worcestiere sauce
1 little tin anchovies
Squirt of Dijon mustard
Salt Pepper
Blender for this one...

That's the tip of the iceberg!

 

[Cello]

This is great Joanne. I grew up with homemade dressings. My dad used to get creative with the blender, yogurt, and garlic as a constant base. People used to come for dinner and say he should bottle them... but no two batches were e-v-e-r the same.
Fun trip down memory lane to read yours.

 

[JackieOnLine]

I so need to start making my own: store salad dressing is just stupid. it's all low fat, high sugar - totally stupid.

 

[Happy DSr]

Caesar salad dressing (with egg)

several garlic cloves cut into a few chunks (depends on how much you like garlic- I will use 6 or eight)
a few strips of anchovies (optional)
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp hot sauce
2 tbsp Worchestershire
2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup oil (olive or canola)
grind/mix up with immersion stick blender until smooth and tich
add 1 egg, and mix some more

all ingredients can be adjusted to taste

tear up lettuce, add a lot of dry parmesan cheese and toss before adding dressing
add bacon bits before serving. Sometimes I also add chunks of boiled egg.
I assemble and mix right in a pyrex measuring cup for ease of cleaning