Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

In general, most balsamic vinaigrette dressings will consist of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil.  Since I try to keep our food lighter and healthier I prefer dressings anywhere from 1 part vinegar to 1 part oil, to 2 parts vinegar to 1 part oil.  You really can vary the proportions based on your preference.  We were given a container of salad greens by Jeremy's parents who will be leaving town and won't be able to eat them before they go bad.  To use up the greens I threw together this salad of mixed greens, feta cheese, toasted walnuts, and chopped apples from what I already had on hand.  Dried cranberries, spinach, pears, blue cheese, any type of nut, scallions, strawberries, mushrooms, hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, sliced red onion, or cucumbers would all be delicious with this dressing also.  Or you could even drizzle this over some sort of caprese salad of fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, tomatoes, and maybe some sliced red onion.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
-1/2 olive oil
-1/2 tsp salt
-fresh ground black pepper
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 Tbsp sugar
-1 tsp dijon mustard
-1 tsp dried oregano (thyme, or Italian seasoning would also work well here)

Either whisk together all ingredients, or place in a container with lid and shake until well combined.  Serve over your favorite salad fixins.

What are your favorite salad ingredients?

I tend to be partial to hearts of palm or artichoke hearts.  Jeremy hates them both though, so I tend to not use them, and stick to a combination of some type of cheese, fruit, and nut mixture.  I also love any salad with avocado, mango, or if it has both then that's just pure bliss!

Shannon