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Salad Dressing "DIY"

Do you know any babies?
I know a few.
They totally have the hook-up for salad dressing jars.

Okay okay, so maybe the jars used to house pureed pears or mushy green beans, but after a good run through the dishwasher and some Goo Gone on the label, you're set!

I'm being serious -- the small baby food jars make the perfect vessel for you to create salad dressing that rivals anything you'll find on the shelf.  And who needs all of the bottled dressings' extra sugar and additives, anyway?

Yummy homemade salad dressing to top fresh greens with goat cheese, pine nuts, pear slices, and apple chips.

Making your own dressing is simple and healthy. 

Your basic formula is this: something acidic plus an oil.

You don't need organic chem under your belt to master this, ladies!

My dressing of choice: lemon juice, pomegranate vinegar, orange olive oil, dijon mustard, herbes de provence, flower pepper


Below are some of my favorite components.  You can pick one, two, heck - even all! from each category to add into your baby food jar.  Just mix to taste, and find your own favorite combination.  I use a 1:1 ratio of the acidic component(s) and the oil.

Acidic
Lemon juice (I use a cube or two of frozen lemon juice, thawed)
Balsamic vinegar
Apple cider vinegar
White vinegar
Pomegranate vinegar
Champagne vinegar
Orange juice

Oil
Extra virgin olive oil
Canola oil

Add-Ins
Fresh herbs
Dried herbs
Dijon mustard
Salt, pepper
Honey

See, it's so easy!  Now, you don't even have to worry about mixing it all together until you're ready to eat.  Just make sure the baby food jar lid is on tightly, and then shake it and swirl it around. 

I love popping one of these jars in my lunch bag to take to work.  I can literally just eyeball the ingredients and pour them in while I'm making my breakfast, and then let the flavors infuse together until it's lunchtime.

Do you make your own salad dressing?  What's your favorite combination?

14 comments:

  1. This is such a great idea! I keep some homemade salad dressing in old jars, but I've never thought of using baby jars. That would be perfect to bring to work so my salad doesn't get gross!

    Also, this makes me want to find pomegranate vinegar immediately. I use an Orange Champagne vinegar from Trader Joe's and it really brightens my salad.

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  2. yum. must do this. I don't make my own but should. You've inspired me!

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  3. I love making my own dressings. My favorite right now is a brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and olive oil combo with a bit of fresh rosemary and a pinch of salt and pepper. It' SO good.

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  4. I do this and use mason jars sometimes, but this would be a much better size bottle for me! I use balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, pepper, and freshly chopped garlic. Yum!

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  5. Oh I can't wait to try this one! I have a good one for you too! It is a Bender Family favorite & we put it on a strawberry & spinach salad.

    1/2 cup salad oil
    4T of sugar
    4T red wine vinegar
    2T chopped flat leaf parsley
    1 chopped green onion (optional)
    1t salt
    1t pepper
    MANY shakes of tabasco

    Let it sit for over a day & then enjoy! It is the perfect combination of sweet & spicy!

    My mom makes candied pecans to put on the this salad too, which are TDF, but not necessary!

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  6. I LOVE using my recycled (or Ball/mason) jars for dressing! So true about making your own.

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  7. I'm taking this one step further -- Gerber apple blueberry baby food is THE BOMB. My mom had it stocked in the house literally until I left for college. It's just so pure and delicious and the best consistency. I really am ambivalent to fresh fruits which most people find weird but baby food fruit is my go to if I really need some in my diet.

    Everyone can now judge away but do not knock til you've tried!

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  8. What a neat idea! I love how convenient it would be. :)

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  9. This sounds awesome! I've never considered making my own dressing before; I typically eat my salads dry.

    Too bad I don't know any babies. ;)

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  10. I do this all the time. There aren't many store bought dressings I like so I just mix my own. My go to is just EVOO + balsamic vinegar + dijon mustard + S&P. Yum!!

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  11. Great post! I'm lol at bhb's comment :)

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  12. This is such a great idea! This will make taking a salad to work super easy. P.S. Love the frozen lemon juice idea.

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  13. Thanks for the tips! This is so helpful!

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