Homemade dressing is so simple, and infinitely tastier than even the best store-bought varieties, that once you start making your own you’ll never go back. Here’s a family favorite to get you started. All amounts are approximate; I generally just eyeball it. Feel free to add more or less as your palate dictates; throw in additional herbs, spices, veggies or whatever you like.
- 1/2 cup vinegar (we use Bragg’s apple cider, rice wine would be good too)
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil (this is crucial, and my favorite part!)
- 1/4 water or apple juice
- 2 TBSP soy sauce (or Bragg’s amino acids)
- 1 tsp sweetener (brown sugar, maple syrup etc.)
- Knob of ginger (about 2″ is what we use)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 green onions, diced
We make our dressing in our Vitamix
because it emulsifies it so nicely. Put all the ingredients in except the onions and let it run for a minute or so, then add the chopped onions and let it whirl a few times to mix them in and chop them a bit smaller if you like. We keep the dressing in our fridge and it seems to last for ages, but we eat it up so quickly that I really can’t say how long it will last!
This dressing is great on a green salad. Try adding some chopped cabbage, cilantro, sliced apples, or sunflower seeds. A little grilled chicken would also be fantastic. Enjoy!
PS The dressing bottle
I use (that you see in the picture above) has half a dozen recipes printed along the outside with markings for where to pour ingredients to. It makes creating your own dressing practically as easy as opening a bottle of the store-bought stuff. Many don’t require a blender, you just shake it up. I often use the recipes on the side as loose guidelines and then improvise freely.
