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Garlic & Herb Vinaigrette

This post is part of a series.  To buy Volume One of the e-book containing several REAL FOOD 101 tutorials, click here: REAL FOOD 101 E-book: Traditional Foods, Traditionally Prepared.

My lovely Basic Vinaigrette is a simple dressing; an excellent recipe to have on hand.  Prepared as written it can go with nearly any green salad, cooked veggie, or anything else that needs a little oil for richness and acid for sharp contrast.  I have even tossed it with rice salads and it’s perfect.

However, I have a particular version of this vinaigrette I use almost 100% of the time due to the predictable freak out that everyone has whenever I use it.  Yes, it’s that good.  Who knew that real food ingredients could make such a difference?  (I know, I knew it already too!)  I call it my Garlic & Herb Dressing, and it’s based on a dressing recipe from here.  Of course I had to double the garlic and mustard, but I think it’s perfect that way.  Every time I make this dressing, people rant and rave about it.

Nothing dresses up a colorful salad more than a crisp and flavorful homemade vinaigrette.  I’ve said it a million times, but I will say it again: real, clean, organic, whole ingredients are what make this recipe truly nourishing and delicious.  A simple vinaigrette is nothing new, and it is not hard.

Some demand to know what in the world I have used to make it?  Crack?  Nope.  Just real food!  I almost feel bewildered now that I am used to good real food.  Doesn’t everyone eat food this tasty?  It’s funny how simple it is to get good food once you are used to it.

I also like that I can drizzle this dressing across my veggies while I adhere to GAPS.  It is recommended that you drizzle olive oil across each meal while on GAPS.  I tend not to do that, but I love to incorporate this dressing onto whatever I can.  The flavors from the spices and sea salt coupled with that bite from apple cider vinegar are something I never tire of!

Equipment Needed:

• whisk and large bowl
• quart glass jar with screw-top lid
• measuring cups and spoons
• food processor OR hand chopper OR good quality knife (and mad knife skillz)

I have made both versions of this dressing, but I vastly prefer the Garlic & Herb version.  It’s a crowd-pleaser, and the flavors are perfectly balanced.  I like to serve it with a green herb salad and crumbled grass-fed, raw blue cheese.  Amazing!

Directly below you can see that if you use Dijon mustard instead of whole grain, then your resulting dressing will stay emulsified a bit better.  However, I prefer the whole grain mustard, especially because it adds a little crunch and texture to the dressing.  Either way, this dressing is delicious!  And it’s really pretty in this special jar, see?

Garlic & Herb Vinaigrette (made with Dijon)

Basic Vinaigrette

1 cup good quality olive oil, preferably late harvest (buy good olive oil here)
1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar (buy apple cider vinegar here)
1 teaspoon of garlic powder (buy organic spices here)
1 teaspoon of mustard

1. In a bowl, whisk olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and garlic powder together to emulsify.  Alternately, add all ingredients to a jar, cap it tightly, and shake vigorously.  Serve immediately, storing additional dressing in an airtight jar with a storage lid in the refrigerator.

Garlic & Herb Vinaigrette, before shaking: beautiful!

Garlic & Herb Vinaigrette (my favorite!)

1 cup good quality olive oil, preferably late harvest (buy good olive oil here)
1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar (buy apple cider vinegar here)
1 teaspoon onion powder (buy organic spices here)
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard (find whole grain mustard at specialty stores, or here)
4-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (buy organic spices here)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil (buy organic spices here)
1 teaspoon sea salt (buy unrefined sea salt here)

1. In a quart jar or large glass bowl, pour in the olive oil and apple cider vinegar.  Then, drop in the remaining ingredients: onion powder, mustard, garlic, thyme, basil, and sea salt.
   

   Garlic & Herb Vinaigrette, unshaken

2. If using a jar, put a lid on it, tightly, and shake shake shake!!  If using a bowl (so that you can serve it immediately), then whisk together to emulsify.  Store additional dressing in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.  The olive oil will harden in the cold fridge.
   

   Garlic & Herb Vinaigrette, shaken!

3. As you let the dressing sit and chill in the fridge, the heavy parts of it (garlic bits and whole grain mustard bits) will sink and the olive oil will harden a bit.  This is normal.  When you pull it out of the fridge to use it, let it sit for 10 minutes at room temperature before shaking it so the olive oil can soften down a bit.  Enjoy!

This post is a part of Sunday School, Weekend Gourmet, Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, The Mommy Club, Healthy2day Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Full Plate Thursday, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, and Friday Food Flicks.