Salad Dressings

I have gotten to where I never buy salad dressing anymore.  Its so easy to just make and only takes minutes to do so!  It taste so much better and it's so much better for you.....no preservatives!  My favorite is Creamy Italian, Honey Mustard and Balsamic Vinaigrette. 

Now with catering I know that RANCH is the favorite dressing of Texas.  I make it quite often and always get asked where did you get that dressing?   I use the Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning and salad dressing mix.  You can buy the packet at the store or I buy the 16 oz container at Sam's Club over by the regular salad dressing.  It's under $7 and makes alot of dressing so in the end it's cheaper than the packets. You can also use it to season different things.

Ok, I'm going to put my two cents in... Don't buy bagged salad it's just not the same.  Has that weird under taste and smell to it and I hear there is a bit of bacteria in most bags... oh thats the taste I was talking about (bacteria).  A nice Greenleaf or Redleaf head of lettuce is only about $1.69 ( I know cause I buy many of these a week for catering) and in the end you get more than that pre-bag of lettuce and it's so fresh!!!! Just my opinion but thought I'd throw that out there!  I mix my greens alot when making a salad too.  I use greenleaf or redleaf with iceburg...sometimes I use all three!


Creamy Italian Garlic Dressing

1 cup Hellman's Mayonnaise
3 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Blend in food processor or blender for 2 minutes- makes 1 1/4 cups


Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

1 cup Hellman's Mayonnaise
5 Tbsp honey
5 Tbsp mustard

Mixed all ingredients together and store in an air tight container in the fridge.

Balsamic Vinaigrette  ( I got this from my good friend Charlotte Lanham years ago)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup balsamic vinegar  (I use the Tom Thumb brand…Safeway Select Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, one of the few TT brands I enjoy)

Fresh lime juice…1/4 of a lime

1 tsp sugar or 1 pkg of equal or sweetener

Salt and pepper 

Mix ingredients with a whisk until well blended.  Store in a glass jar.  When you use it again, it will be separated, so you will have to whisk again or shake the bottle real good. 

Notice that the ratio for olive oil and balsamic vinegar is 2-1.  So to make a larger batch, always have double the oil as the vinegar. It keeps a long time in the fridge. 

In addition to using this on salads, I use it a lot when I make roasted tomatoes, asparagus, etc.

Ranch Dressing

1 cup milk

1 cup Hellman's Mayonnaise

1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch  or 1 1/2 Tbsp out of the container

Mix all the ingredients with a whisk and let it congeal for about 30 minutes (it will thicken up some).  If you feel it's to thick just add some milk to thin add some more mayo!