“What I love most is an abundance of simple food of perfect quality and staggering freshness, very simply and respectfully treated, tasting strongly of itself.” Sybille Bedford, in The Artist’s & Writer’s Cook Book, 1961*
Isn’t that an awesome quote?
On Fridays a box of locally grown, in-season produce arrives at my doorstep from The Produce Box. Fresh fruits and vegetables bursting with color and flavor are a highlight to my week.
In our family, salad is a verb. With the exception of my ministry-minded middle who is loath to leafy greens, the rest of the gang enjoys a fresh green salad. Click here for Nate’s favorite salad!
My first experience with homemade dressing was while living in Normandy, France. My French family created their own salad dressing using Dijon mustard and vinegar and it was sublime. Prior to that I thought the only way to have a salad dressing was to buy it! Boy, was I wrong!
I guess you could say I had “un grand moment avec une salade” or “a big moment with a salad” in France.
Really, it’s so simple to make your own salad dressing. Here are a few reasons why it’s worth the small effort involved.
1. The taste is far superior to that of a bottled salad dressing. It never ceases to amaze me how many salad dressings there are in the grocery aisle but you could do the same thing at home, quite honestly!
2. Instead of some gi-normous food manufacturer determining your ingredients, you can please your own palate and your family’s.
3. You can substitute, reduce or omit ingredients based on what’s available in your cupboards.
4. Time saving – The few upfront minutes I (or one of my olive shoots) invest in making extra dressing beforehand, allows us to conveniently have a fresh salad in minutes. When I make extra, I just use a clean glass jar to store it in the fridge. When making the dressing for others, I repurpose a jar that used to contain jelly or jam.
I prefer to buy only triple-washed spring mix or romaine lettuce. That’s because despite my valiant efforts to adequately wash the leaves, I’m often left with a gritty bunch of dirt in the greens and ain’t nobody got time for that.
The recipe I’m including below is a favorite.
Add blackberries plus yellow and red peppers to give the salad a summer flair. For a different salad, throw some pears and walnuts for a delightful and slightly fancy twist. Often in the Christmas season, I toss handfuls of pomegranate seeds to make it festive and add a fun crunch. My buddy and writer pal Meredith stopped by one night and got to try pomegranate seeds which totally rocked her world! #truestory
If I have some homemade kale, spinach or beet powder handy, I’ll sprinkle a little on the salad for additional flavor, color and nutrition. Yes, I take salads seriously.
Here’s the recipe, hope you enjoy!
4 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey**
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Mix it all together and shablam, you’re ready to dress up your salad.
Questions – When you say salad, what is your family’s reaction? Does your family even eat salad? How do you make it appealing?
“My mom makes me eat salad and that’s why I have big muscles. She’s the best.” Aaron’s buddy Caleb looks by in awe.
*Quote from Simple Food for the Good Life by Helen Nearing
** Raw, unfiltered honey is the best. If you can, get your honey from a local beekeeper. Clover and wildflower honey have the mildest flavor.
My Awesome Olive Shoots 