Michael's All-Purpose Salad Dressing

Vegan

I served this salad dressing at a party last year, and my friend Michael liked it so much, he asked for the recipe. This was the defining moment that made cookbookery seem like a good idea. This dressing can be poured over just about any combination of fresh veggies and called a salad. It’s really best to make this in a clean jar, because it triples as your mixing bowl, your tupperware, and your serving dish. Keep it in the refrigerator for weeks.

The basic idea of salad dressing is adding fat to acid in a 1:2 ratio (half the fat to acid). Here is my favorite “fat and acid” combination, but please see below for alternatives.

mustard (I like grainy, spicy mustard, but you can use anything)
apple cider vinegar
olive oil
salt & pepper
dried herbs (I always like oregano or thyme)

In a clean jar (or a mixing bowl), squirt a couple of tablespoons of mustard. No need to measure. You can always add more.

Add some apple cider vinegar. How much? Think about how much dressing you want to make, and add about half of that amount in vinegar.

Put the lid on and shake (or if using a bowl, whisk).

Now, pour in some olive oil (about ½ of the amount of vinegar). Shake vigorously.

Add a bunch of salt, pepper, and dried herbs. TASTE IT! This should taste pretty strong. Remember, you are going to be dressing plain, raw veggies with this, so make it really flavorful. Keep tasting and seasoning until you like it.

Pour over a mixture of greens, raw carrot, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, fresh corn, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, mushrooms, goat cheese, blue cheese, dried cherries/cranberries, pine nuts, walnuts, fresh tofu, hard boiled egg, sunflower seeds, avocado, sprouts, hearts of palm, olives, fresh herbs, cooked rice or quinoa, canned beans, dried ramen noodles, fennel, ANYTHING!

Want a sweet dressing? Try balsamic vinegar instead of apple cider, and your favorite jam or marmalade instead of mustard. Want an Asian dressing? Try white wine vinegar and sesame oil and a splash of lime juice. Craving a Latin bite? Use lime or grapefruit juice (and zest) instead of vinegar. Try all the different types of oils, vinegars, jams, and citrus juices to make your own special brand of salad dressing. Just remember the 1:2 ratio of fat to acid, and you can’t go wrong. You can also use any salad dressing as a marinade for grilled veggies or tofu, or the animal protein of your choice. It can also do your taxes.