I love a good salad.
And I go through “salad phases“, as I like to call them. One week I will be all about that Ranch, ’bout that Ranch…
…and the next, I’m craving a Raspberry Walnut vinaigrette. But no matter what “phases” I go through, I always end up back at my tried and true. My one true salad love. My never-failing, easy and good for you, Zesty Oil and Vinegar dressing.
This salad dressing made its first appearance in the Crunchy Mountain home several years ago. I think Mountain Man and I were in a financial pinch, and the always delicious Newman’s Own dressing wasn’t on sale, so it wasn’t a necessity. I started researching some of the ingredients in the store bought version, and ended up with an extremely tasty version. So YUM, in fact, that it is a food staple in our home. If I’ve overlooked making a fresh batch, Mountain Man quickly reminds me.
It’s quick, easy, and has a long shelf life!
This dressing takes less than 10 minutes to whip up, and it’s ready to eat right away! But I’ll be honest with you, it tastes way better after you’ve allowed the flavors to “marry” for a few hours. It’s also something you can make ahead of time, without having to worry if you’ll be able to use it all before it goes bad or not. Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a shelf life of roughly 2-3 years, at room temperature. According to eatbydate.com, White Wine Vinegar (along with the rest of the vinegars) have an indefinite shelf life! Now, ours rarely lasts longer than a week (seriously, it’s so good)…and after you add the garlic and spices, I would say you have a safe 2-4 weeks before it will “go bad”.
- 3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 Cup White Wine Vinegar (you can use regular white vinegar, but it doesn't taste as good in my opinion)
- 2 cloves of garlic - on a microplane or minced
- A few squirts of fresh lemons juice - about 1 1/2 tsp
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2tsp dried oregano
- Roughly 1/2 tsp of each - salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 1/8-1/4 tsp crushed red pepper - whatever your taste desires!
- Measure all ingredients in a bottle of your choosing. With the lid on the bottle, shake vigorously for about a minute. Use right away, or get the best flavor by allowing the flavors to marry for about an hour.
- Does not need to be refrigerated.
This sounds delicious! Gonna give it a try!
I made this tonight and it is delicious! Making salad for dinner tomorrow and I am sure once all the flavors have married, it will be even more delicious!!