I have a problem with making decisions. Actually, big choices are easy. It’s the small ones that hang me up….like where to go for dinner or what outfit to wear. Can I stand in my closet and debate with myself for 20 minutes over which skirt looks better? You bet. Have Drew and I sat in our car, motor running, at the end of our driveway, for 30 minutes, reviewing all restaurant possibilities within a 50-mile radius? Hmmmm….yup.
So, when we had a slight glimmer of spring last week that brought warmer temps and geese flying overhead, I immediately started dreaming up all sorts of spring salads, which then took me to spring salad dressings. That led to a huge problem. I had all these lovely fresh ingredients spread out on my counter and there I was standing, frozen, in the middle of the kitchen, debating with myself over what kind of dressing to make. It went something like this:
“Lime, honey and garlic. No, wait. Will the garlic overpower? What about chives? Lime and chives don’t work together. Do they? Should I add mustard? What about basil? Oh, wait. I also have mint. That works well with lime and honey. And would avocado oil be better than EVOO? And why did I buy so many lemons? Look at these strawberries. I have to use some.” Yep. Never get that half hour back, will I?
On the other hand, I now have THREE spring salad dressings sitting in my fridge. I didn’t even have to choose. I just made them all! And when I took said salad dressings to Sunday dinner at Drew’s parents’ house, I just took all three and let everyone choose for themselves. And guess what? I didn’t debate for a minute over which one to drizzle over my butter lettuce. Nope. I divided my salad in thirds and drizzled them all. Shamelessly.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 4 large basil leaves (approx. 1 Tbsp.)
- 1 lemon
- 3 large strawberries
- 1 tsp. honey
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup avocado oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2-3 Tbsp. fresh mint
- 1 lemon or lime
- 1 tsp. honey
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 4 large basil leaves (approx. 1 Tbsp.)
- 1 Tbsp. fresh chives
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tsp. stone-ground or Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Chop basil leaves. Zest and juice the lemon. Chop strawberries.
- Put all ingredients (except oil) in blender. Blend for a few seconds.
- Add oil slowly while blender is on to emulsify.
- Finely chop mint leaves. Zest and juice lemon.
- Put all ingredients (except oil) in blender. Blend for a few seconds.
- Add oil slowly while blender is on to emulsify.
- Chop basil leaves and chives. Mince garlic.
- Put all ingredients (except oil) in blender. Blend for a few seconds.
- Add oil slowly while blender is on to emulsify.
4 Comments
Those all look good!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/
Thanks Kari! Gotta love homemade dressings 🙂
I always make my own salad dressings mainly because I like to be creative but also the store bought ones sometimes scare me with their ingredients. I can’t wait to try these 3 new versions!
We’re right there with ya Aimee. Store-bought ingredients can be downright scary. Hope you like these recipes! We’d love to hear how they turn out for you.