Mom’s VERY Favorite Salad Dressing
Yield: Approx. 1 cup dressing | Prep: 10 mins. | Ready In: 10 mins.
What you need:
• 1/3 cup vinegar (your choice of type) • 1/2 cup canola oil
(or oil of your choice) • 1 1/2 tablespoons finely minced onion
• 2-4 tablespoons sugar (or equivalent sweetener) • 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard • 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
What you do:
1. Combine all ingredients in a jar or salad dressing container with a tight fitting lid. Shake well before serving.
2. Keep refrigerated.
Cook’s note: This was my mother’s absolute favorite salad dressing! There was always a jar of it in her refrigerator – she usually doubled the recipe! It is a pretty basic salad dressing recipe to which you can add, subtract or substitute herbs, spices and sweetening agents (honey, agave, Splenda, etc.). It is so easy to make and tastes so good that you won’t want to buy salad dressing again!
Why we love it:
Salads are cool, crunchy, and fun to eat (lots of textures, colors, and flavors). You can customize them to include the fruits and veggies that appeal to you the most, and whichever ones you have on hand. Four health benefits of eating salad include: 1) more fiber; 2) more protective phytochemicals; 3) fewer calories; and 4) healthier fats (mono- and polyunsaturated plant oils).
To properly dress a salad:
• Start with fresh, clean salad ingredients. Gently pat salad greens dry with paper towels or spin with a salad spinner. • Select a large bowl that will give all of the salad ingredients lots of room to be tossed. • Choose your favorite salad dressing.
• Place the dressing in the bowl and swirl it around to coat the sides of the bowl. • Add the salad greens; gently toss greens with two large spoons from the bottom up, giving everything a quick, even coating of dressing. • Top the greens with the other salad ingredients.
• Season lightly with salt and pepper. This tiny step is often overlooked and while optional, can be the difference between an average salad and a great one. • Quickly and gently toss the salad again - just enough to mix in the other ingredients but not too much or these ingredients will go to the bottom of the bowl. • And remember - err on the conservative side when adding the dressing. It’s a lot easier to add a splash of dressing than it is to remove it!