Induction-friendly Vinaigrette Recipes

[mizski]

Vinaigrette Recipes

Vinaigrette is an emulsion of vinegar and vegetable oil, often flavored with herbs, spices, and other ingredients. They can be used as salad dressings, sauces or as a marinade.

I try to make homemade things whenever I can so I can control the ingredients (no HFCS, sugars or other chemicals) and tweak them to taste. Here are some of my favorite vinaigrette recipes that are suitable for all phases of Atkins:

Lemon Vinaigrette

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
¾ teaspoon Fresh Thyme Leaves, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt
Pinch Fresh Cracked Black Peppercorns

In a jar or bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Store, covered, in the refrigerator. Serve lemon vinaigrette at room temperature.

Lime Vinaigrette

2/3 cup Light Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon. Dijon Mustard
Juice from ½ Lime
1 teaspoon Splenda
1 clove Garlic, minced
Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Combine ingredients in a covered container. Shake well. Serve lime vinaigrette immediately.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ cup Peanut Oil
¼ cup Lime juice
1 ¼ teaspoons Green Peppercorns, crushed
½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
½ teaspoon Cumin, ground
2 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk. Use cilantro lime vinaigrette at room temperature.

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 ounces Crumbled Blue Cheese
½ cup Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Combine oil and blue cheese in small bowl. Mash blue cheese into oil. Whisk in vinegar, garlic salt and ground black pepper. Serve blue cheese vinaigrette immediately.

Greek Vinaigrette

3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper
½ teaspoon Dry Oregano
1 clove Garlic, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate Greek vinaigrette until ready to serve.

Bacon Vinaigrette

1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup Cider Vinegar
2 tablespoons Bacon Fat
1 tablespoon Sugar Twin Brown or Splenda
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper

In a small bowl combine all ingredients. Whisk until emulsion is formed and reserve bacon vinaigrette at room temperature.

Dijon Vinaigrette

2/3 cup Olive Oil
2 ½ tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 ½ tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Whisk all ingredients until well blended. Serve Dijon vinaigrette at room temperature.

Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette

½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup Sherry Vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons Shallot, finely chopped
½ teaspoons Garlic, finely minced
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper

In small bowl, whisk all ingredients together.

Champagne Vinaigrette

1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ cup Champagne Vinegar
Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper
pinch Splenda, to taste

Whisk oil and vinegar together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the sweetener, if desired. Serve champagne vinaigrette immediately.

Tomato Vinaigrette

1 cup olive oil
½ cup Tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
½ teaspoon Dried Basil
½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
½ teaspoon Dijon Mustard

In a blender, blend tomatoes, vinegar, basil, thyme, and mustard until well combined. Add oil and blend again. Store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Shake well before serving tomato vinaigrette.

Tarragon Vinaigrette

1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Tarragon Leaves
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract (optional, but the vanilla adds a tasty, unique flavor)
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper, Ground
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Splenda

Mix all ingredients in medium bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

[Nancy Mo]

Wow! What a Woman!!! Thanx for sharing these recipes!

[mission to lose]

Thanks Mizski,
All those recipes sound quite wonderful. you must be a gourmet chef at your house. I will be trying some of those recipes right away.
Regards,
Mary

[not2late]

Thanks for posting these recipes!

Note for everyone: The basic vinaigrette has a ratio of 3 parts sour to 1 part oil. So as long as you follow that ratio your vinaigrette possibilities are endless!

Mizki used lemon, lime, and various vinegars for her viniagrettes and look how many combinations she has. And what if you combine these vinegars, for example, use half lemon and half lime?

You can also use different oils to get different flavors as well.

And the "add-ins" like Dijon mustard, herbs and spices----well, those are essentially endless too. Mizki used tomatoes as an add-in. But I've seen recipes that have used pureed avocades, pureed cucumbers, chipotle peppers, strawberries, etc.

So experiment with different ingredients. If it doesn't work, no prob. If it works, you might be able to bottle it and retire on salad dressing!

This is why I think cooking is so exciting.

[not2late]

Also this is a hint from the various cookbooks I've read through the years.

When you taste your vinaigrette to check seasonings, always dip a piece of the sald vegetable in it to taste. That way, you'll have a better idea of how it will taste on the salad.

If the vinaigrette tastes too "oily", add a pinch of salt to reduce the oily texture.

And be sure that your salad greens/veggies are perfectly dry before you dress them. Any water clinging to them might dilute the dressing to the point it tastes like nothing---which will make you add more dressing, which will continue to taste diluted.

[mizski]

Originally Posted by mission to lose

you must be a gourmet chef at your house.

Well, I do make some pretty tasty foods. My weight is quality poundage...no junk food pounds on this rotund frame.

That's what frustrates me so much with the fat people stereotypes...they figure I must be eating donuts and candy bars all day. Well, no...it was the homemade pasta and homemade breads that did me in.

Originally Posted by not2late

And the "add-ins" like Dijon mustard, herbs and spices----well, those are essentially endless too. Mizski used tomatoes as an add-in. But I've seen recipes that have used pureed avocades, pureed cucumbers, chipotle peppers, strawberries, etc.

*snip*

This is why I think cooking is so exciting.

I have a lot of recipes that include all kinds of ingredients like tahini, wasabi, different pureed veggies, berries and or fruits. Different spices like curry or using maple extract/splenda to sub for maple syrup.

My kitchen is my "lab" and I continually try new things. Some bomb (even tho' Mr. Ski eats all my experiments) and others are keepers. That's why I get puzzled sometimes when people say they are bored with their food. Have fun with it...experiment with different things!

Anyways, I wanted to put up the Induction-friendly dressings for the newbies to give them an idea that salad dressing is more than Italian, blue cheese or ranch. I'll put together another post maybe this weekend with other vinaigrettes suitable for various OWL stages.

[mizski]

Originally Posted by not2late

Note for everyone: The basic vinaigrette has a ratio of 3 parts sour to 1 part oil. So as long as you follow that ratio your vinaigrette possibilities are endless!

I thought it is more oil and less sour?

[not2late]

Ooops! It's 3 parts oil to 1 part sour for an American-style vinaigrette. The French like theirs to be 4-5 parts oil to 1 part sour.

That's what I get for typing while reviewing some work stuff.....

[not2late]

I play around with my food too. That's why my fitday account consists of recipes rather than menues.....

[not2late]

Another use for the vinaigrette.

When I go out to dinner and bring back half of my steak, the following day I have it as part of a cold steak salad. Instead of tossing the greens with the vinaigrette, I toss slices of the steak, it gives a "freshness" to the cold leftover steak and it helps cut the richness of it.