Guys, you may know that we like our homemade salad dressings around here and while my classic pantry basics vinaigrette is my standby, everyday dressing, this amazingly simple apple cider vinaigrette dressing is my new favorite! I was afraid that the apple cider/juice would make it a bit too sweet, but it’s actually the perfect sweetness – a light sweetness that’s just right on our family’s favorite salad of spinach, cranberries, sweet onion, and feta.
I usually put a bit of honey in our regular vinaigrette to cut the vinegar and add a bit of sweet, but I’m loving how another real-food ingredient like our home-pressed apple cider naturally sweetens this – though of course unsweetened apple juice or cider will work just as good! I adapted this recipe from a small blurb in a Rachel Ray magazine (which didn’t come up in a search when I tried to link to it) and I’m glad to have this in our dressing arsenal now – I hope you like it as much as we do, too.
[recipe]
Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1/4 c. apple cider or juice
- 1 TB. cider vinegar
- 1 TB. Dijon mustard
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper
- In a small bowl or screw-top jar combine the apple cider, vinegar, and mustard. Whisk or shake until smooth.
- Add olive oil, salt and pepper and whisk or shake until combined.
Makes about 2/3 cup.
Serving suggestions: use as a dressing for any green salad plus spinach, cranberry, onion & feta salad; cabbage slaw with onions, chopped apples and walnuts; and even as a marinade for pork chops.
[/recipe]
Sharing at Real Food Recipe Roundup and Monday Funday
I have been looking for a good recipe for this for years!! My grandmother made one but i could never get instrucions for it. All i got was, “Oh, you know. Just mix vinegar and water and oil and season it.” Not reall very helpful. And it never worked.
It’s the cider and dijon that make the difference! And make it yummy!
I especially like this for potato and macaroni salads, since i don’t like anything mayo based. This is also a way of keeping them from turning on a summer picnic in the sweltering Southlands. I once found a recipe for vinegarette potato salad in one of those Southern food magazines in a doctors office. But by the time i came out of visit with the doctor someone else had picked up the magazine. It was, typically, much more elaborate than this.
One can add various other seasonings and spices to your recipe and, voila!, have something zingy zesty or whatever….
I just Love your site and hope that, decades from now, you will still be offering such wonderful food ideas to our grandchildren, great grandchildren, and so on.
Thank you!
And may the Earth Mother bless you always….. *-)
Wow, Claudia, I’m so grateful for your comment and that you’ve enjoyed this dressing (and the site!). 🙂 I’m with you – I like vinaigrette-based salads, too, and am happy to bypass the mayo types. And that would be wonderful to be around that long, ha!!
Oh yum! and what a beautiful photo! Tweeting and pinning. Thanks for linking up this week!
It is always so nice to find a blog one loves and realize there are a gazillion posts ahead of you to savor. I am a whole food advocate myself and seldom buy processed food so finding a soul sister is delightful. Today I made the dinner rolls, artisan bread is in my fridge, homemade mayo, and ranch dressing, and I’m thawing some chicken broth to make the lentil stew! So fun. Love the mayo and dressing. I made homemade mayo before but the olive oil I used was too strong but today it was nice, I used a lighter oil. I couldn’t believe when I stopped the food processor there really was mayo in there! I’m quite jealous of your growing season, I live in Spokane and we are a few weeks later than anywhere in Or. I think. I’ll be following your gardening and cooking adventures and thanks for sharing! Melody
Wow, you were busy, Melody – proud of you that you got so many yummy things made. 🙂 And I’m totally with you on the mayo – it’s always amazing to me that there’s mayo from such simple ingredients when I stop the processor, ha!
Hi Ladies,
I’m always amazed when I plant seeds, and they actually grow and produce. One of the things I love about Tennessee is we have a long growing season, March through end of October. I just found your site, and I love it!
Try adding a little maple syrup to it – delicious !!!
Your salad looks yummy! One of my favorite salads if very similar but it has candied walnuts and sliced pears with it. Thanks for the recipe.