Salad Dressing & Pack Ratting

A sample of my bottle collection

I save bottles.  Lots of them.  And not because I'm a pack rat, regardless of what Ryan says.  I save them because they can always be repurposed.  Recycling is a great option, but I really like to reuse things if I can.  I use them for things like salad dressing, barbecue sauce and flavored vinegars.  I actually don't buy salad dressing anymore, I make my own.  All you really need is some oil and vinegar, but of course ONLY oil and vinegar wouldn't make a very interesting post for a recipe blog.  So here are a few of my favorite salad dressing recipes (I'll post the barbecue sauce separately).

 Balsamic Vinaigrette

I make this all the time, and almost always have a bottle of it in my fridge.  I put lots of herbs in mine!
1/2  cup olive oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp white sugar

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp ground mustard

pinch salt

ground black pepper to taste

minced fresh or dried herbs (thyme, basil, parsley, oregano, whatever you want!)

Add all ingredients to a bottle, jar or other container of your choosing, cover tightly and shake well until blended.  Put in fridge for an hour or more before using (I would recommend overnight).  This dressing will tend to get thick when it is refrigerated, which is totally normal.  If you don't like it thick on your salad, just zap it in the microwave for a few seconds and shake well.

Onion-Mustard Dressing

This recipe came from my mom, and goes great with a spinach salad consisting of fresh baby spinach, crumbled bacon, red onion slices, sliced mushrooms and sliced hard-boiled eggs.  SO yummy!

1 cup olive oil

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1 medium onion, chopped

2/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp mustard

Place all ingredients in blender or food processor and process until well blended.  Pour into bottle, jar or other container of your choosing.  Cover and refrigerate overnight or longer.  This dressing will tend to get thick when it is refrigerated, which is totally normal.  If you don't like it thick on your salad, just zap it in the microwave for a few seconds and shake well.

Sesame Poppy Seed Dressing

I use this dressing over a spinach salad as well.  This salad consists of fresh baby spinach, sliced fresh strawberries, slivered almonds and feta cheese.  (There will be a photo of this salad in my Valentine's Day dinner post.)

Putting my bottles to very good use with
Sesame Poppy Seed Dressing & BBQ Sauce!

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp poppy seeds

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

a few turns freshly ground pepper

Place all ingredients to blender or food processor and process until well blended.  Pour into bottle, jar or other container of your choosing.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or until ready to use.  This dressing will tend to get thick when it is refrigerated, which is totally normal.  If you don't like it thick on your salad, just zap it in the microwave for a few seconds and shake well.

Spicy Cilantro Dressing

This creamy dressing is great for a Tex-Mex style salad with avocados, black beans, corn, whatever you'd like!

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 whole green onions, chopped

2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded & chopped

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

salt & pepper to taste

Place all ingredients EXCEPT sour cream, mayo and salt & pepper into blender or food processor.  Process until well blended and smooth.  Add sour cream and mayo.  Process again until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the container as necessary.  Season to taste with salt & pepper.  Pour into bottle, jar or other container of your choosing.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Soy-Sesame Dressing

I love this dressing on any Asian-inspired style salad, add mandarin orange slices, crunchy Chinese noodles, sliced water chestnuts or anything creative you'd can come up with!  It's also great on edamame or as a spring roll dipping sauce.

1/4 cup olive oil

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp minced ginger

2 tbsp chopped fresh garlic

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp white sugar

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper flakes

Place all ingredients in blender or food processor, and process until well blended.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or until ready to use.

enjoy!

 ~ j