Basic Vinaigrette

• servings: 3 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons vinegar of choice (balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey

2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Stir well with a small whisk or a fork until the ingredients are completely mixed together.

Taste, and adjust as necessary. If the mixture is too acidic, thin it out with a bit more olive oil or balance the flavors with a little more maple syrup or honey. If the mixture is a little blah, add another pinch or two of salt. If it doesn’t have enough zing, add vinegar by the teaspoon.

Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for future use. Homemade vinaigrette keeps well for 7 to 10 days. If your vinaigrette solidifies somewhat in the fridge, don’t worry about it—real olive oil tends to do that. Simply let it rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes or microwave very briefly (about 20 seconds) to liquify the olive oil again. Whisk to blend and serve.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
• Calories: 183
• Total Fat: 19.1 g
• Saturated Fat: 2.7 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 95.9 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 4.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.2 g
• Total Sugars: 3.3 g
• Protein: 0.4 g