Salad days are here and thank the Gods, because it’s time to shed the pounds of the pandemic! Back to healthy, back to light and back to FRESH with this easy, four-ingredient Classic Mustard Vinaigrette for the long days of summer.
Healthy You, Happy You
In our house, we’ve been dramatically cutting back on the amount of processed food we consume. Getting off-the-shelf salad dressings out of your fridge is one more step toward eating well. Making vinaigrette from scratch you avoid all kinds of preservatives, emulsifiers, chemical flavouring and stabilizers that prolong shelf life.
Many of the salad dressings you find at your local grocery store contain much more fat than you really need, to get that smooth, creamy consistency than it does at home, using whole food ingredients. So there you are, thinking you’re eating healthy with your salad, when it turns out your store-bought vinaigrette is actually helping to keep those pounds on. Go fresh and eat better. One more step towards healthy living.
Healthy steps are steps towards happiness!
Savoury Salads & Cold Plates
Mustard Vinaigrette is our number one salad dressing in the summer and year-round. I’ve featured many types of vinaigrette on Food Gypsy over the years depending on the salad and flavour direction. Citrus Vinaigrette, Honey Lime Vinaigrette, andSesame Asian Vinaigrette are all terrific, but this is our constant stand-by.
It’s punchy, deep flavour is the base for a good Tomato Salad, the classic Nicoise or add a dash of mayo and you’ve got a great dressing for a warm Potato Salad and in the heat of summer you can never go wrong with The Tomato Salami Salad… with tomatoes fresh off the vine! (Come on, who doesn’t love a fresh, ripe tomato?!)
Same dressing, different directions.
How long will Mustard Vinaigrette last in my fridge?
It takes just minutes to make, and if you seal it well and use your freshest oil, this Classic Mustard Vinaigrette should last for about two weeks. If it separates between uses, just give it a good shake or a quick whisk to bring it back to life and emulsify.
Classic Mustard Vinaigrette, a touchstone of French cuisine and a great standard, everyday salad dressing for the long, hot days of summer.
Ingredients
Scale
1 1/2 shallots, finely minced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 cup light salad oil; Sunflower, Safflower, Cottonseed or Canola
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
In a medium bowl add diced shallots, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Add about ¼ cup of your oil, and whisk lightly. Then continue whisking, while slowly drizzling the remaining oil into your base until creamy and well mixed.
If you find it a bit thick add a little water, a teaspoon at a time, and whisk until you get the consistency you’re looking for. Pour into a glass jar or bottle, toss on the cap and store in the fridge until needed.
Or… bang everything together in a sealed jar and shake the living crap out of it. Great job for kids and other eager helpers.
Notes
Q: Can I use olive oil? A: You CAN, but it will dramatically alter the taste. Mustard Vinaigrette is light and tangy. If you use olive oil you’ll find it’s heavier and fruitier, which is not ideal. Can I use my emulsion blender? Not recommended. If you do you’re going to zip those shallots and dispense that juice throughout the dressing which can have an overpowering effect in the palate. Use caution with the zippy blender. You can never go wrong with the whisk.
Cooking in her home kitchen just outside Ottawa, Canada; Cori Horton is a food photographer and recipe blogger. A Cordon Bleu-trained Chef, Cori spent five years as the owner of Nova Scotia's Dragonfly Inn and has been sharing all things delicious - right here - since 2010.
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