Make your own salad dressing

Spaghetti and tossed salad are prominent menu items for our Hub Family Lunches. The monthly lunches, held in our kitchen and classroom next to the pantry, are a delicious way for folks to gather, socialize and discuss issues related to community food access. For the May lunch we whipped up a quick salad dressing at the last minute. Participants kept asking for our dressing recipe. We shared it and received this response from an MHC patron, 

"Wow....the dressing worked really well. I use to have a little salad with my ranch dressing, but with my health issues I've had to start looking at what I eat a little differently now. I am absolutely thrilled that I now have a new way to dress my salads that is not only healthy for me, but cost effective as well..."

Garden fresh salad greens are in abundance this time of year. If you are looking for fresh ideas for jazzing up your greens, why not try making your own salad dressing? High quality dressing can cost a pretty penny, and the affordable ones usually have lower quality oils and other undesirable ingredients. If you make your own, you can customize the dressing using your favorite herbs and spices.

Here are the basics for a simple vinaigrette:

Three parts oil to one part vinegar or lemon juice, plus herbs and spices, chopped garlic or shallots, mustard, honey, soy sauce... anything that sounds good to you! For a creamier dressing, add a little mayonnaise. Combine all the ingredients in a jar, secure the lid and shake it up! You can store it in the jar in the fridge indefinitely.

Fresh greens, peppers and apples make a tasty salad for the Hub Family Lunch