Saturday, May 14, 2011

Creamy Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

I was looking for a homemade dressing to go with some mixed organic baby greens I had on hand and wanted to use.  I wanted it to be fairly healthy, too.  This dressing gets its creamy consistency from the emulsification of the olive oil into the other ingredients.  Thanks to my stick blender, I can make all kinds of homemade dressings quickly- I love my stick blender!!!  It's wonderful for soups, as well.  Anyway, I just stuck all of the ingredients into the liquid measuring cup that came with the blender, and blended away for a few seconds until a creamy, flavorful dressing was born. 

The list of ingredients for this vinaigrette are so simple, but I really love the taste.  It's like a healthier version of a mayo-laden honey mustard dressing (although I love that, too!).  I used whipped honey, dijon mustard with herbs de provence, and I added a bunch of fresh chives from my new plant.  This does not make very much at all- but I didn't want a ton of dressing on hand to use up.  This was enough for about 4-5 salads. 

Creamy Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/4-1/2 teaspoon sea salt (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
tiny dash nutmeg
coarsley chopped fresh chives or other favorite fresh herbs, optional

1.  Whisk or blend all of the ingredients together, including herbs.  (Whisking will give it a traditional vinaigrette look and texture- for a creamy texture, use a regular or stick blender and blend until creamy). 

2.  Cover and chill up to 4 days. Serve over mixed salad greens with your favorite toppings.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

No comments: