Vinaigrette Base

If you know vinaigrettes, you know it's oil + acid + herbs/spices/etc. The general rule of thumb is 1 part acid to 3 parts oil. From there, the world is your oyster! Here's my usual base:

Extra Virgin Light Tasting Olive Oil
White Balsamic Vinegar or lemon juice or Balsamic Vinegar

Here's how I normally build my salads:
  1. Take lettuce from fridge.
  2. Wash thoroughly.
  3. Dry with cloth towel.
  4. Set aside. (I don't like lettuce cold from the fridge. I like it to be crisp; but lightly chilled)
  5. Fix main course.
  6. While protein is resting -- because every meal I eat has some protein -- tear the lettuce into a big bowl.
  7. Top with some additional veg and/or fruit -- like bell pepper, olives, beets, etc and/or dried cherries, apple, pear, etc
  8. Top with nuts (sometimes).
  9. Combine vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar -- I have a leftover jelly jar that is the perfect size for this -- close with the lid.
  10. Shake the dickens out of the vinaigrette.
  11. Pour over the salad and toss.
I usually make enough dressing for one salad...and my salad is usually huge.

Paleo Diet Lifestyle has an excellent list of vinaigrette recipes.
Delish has a ton of vinaigrette recipes.

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