Easy Vinaigrette in a Jar

I always have 2 little jars of homemade salad dressing in my fridge – Balsamic Vinaigrette and Red Wine Vinaigrette.  Nothing fancy, and nothing could be easier ~ make them right in a jar and just shake it.  The basic vinaigrette ratio is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar; I like the vinegar taste and to make it even simpler I just do half and half, eyeball it.  They can make me a quick salad any night of the week.  They last, well, as long as you need them to and you know what’s in them, unlike their store bought versions.

With the balsamic I often do a “fruit ~ nut” salad.  That is, any lettuce greens (arugula, spinach, spring mix), any fruit (dried cranberries, pomegranate seeds, chopped apples, berries), any nut, toasted is the best (walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, pecans) and cheese (shaved Parmesan, goat cheese, feta, blue cheese).  I always have some combination in the cupboard or fridge.

With the red wine I usually use whatever veggies I have and one of the same cheeses.  Jarred peppers are handy too.  A salad is an easy side when you just need something green and healthy, and if your dressing is already made and ready, you can throw it together in a few minutes.

When your jar of dijon is almost gone, don’t scrape out every last bit…make salad dressing right in the jar!