Dress up your green salad with a good vinaigrette.

There's nothing better in warm weather than a salad made with fresh crisp salad greens and drizzled with a home-made vinaigrette. Bottled salad dressings often contain low quality oils, artificial flavors or ingredients, added sugars and preservatives. Fear not! It's quick and easy to make your own....here's how:

Basic Vinaigrette

this is the basic formula that you can build all your vinaigrette flavors from

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (good quality- we recommend Olio Beato)

3 T (or more to taste) good quality vinegar (like red wine, white wine or see below for other ideas)

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

*I almost always put about a teaspoon ( or a little more) of dijon mustard. Add a drizzle of honey for a sweeter flavor if the vinegar flavor is too tangy....Add both honey & mustard and....Voila! Home-made honey mustard vinaigrette....aren't you fancy?

Put all ingredients in a jar and shake until blended (you can also do this in the blender). Let sit for about 30 minutes before serving- taste a few times and adjust flavors.

Variations on the basic:

Lemon Vinaigrette: 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, zest of 1 lemon, black pepper

Ginger Vinaigrette: 1/2 cup neutral oil (like grapeseed), 1 T sherry vinegar, 1 T lime juice, 1 T warm water, 1inch grated fresh ginger

Balsamic Vinaigrette: 1/2 cup olive oil, 3 T balsamic vinegar, 1 t dijon mustard, 1 shallot (minced)

Chili Lime Vinaigrette: 1/2 cup neutral oil (like grapeseed), 3 T lime juice, 1/2 T chili powder, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 t oregano

Nutty Oil Vinaigrette: 1/2 cup walnut, hazelnut or other nut oil, 3 T sherry vinegar, 1 minced shallot

Try experimenting with fresh herbs: parsley, basil & dill are all delicious and have a mild and cool flavor. Add up to 1/4 cup of these herbs minced. Also try rosemary, tarragon or thyme- these have stronger flavors so start by adding 1 t and adjust from there.