Balsamic Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

Simple salad with just a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.

Salads are one of my favorite side dishes to a meal. They make me feel like I’m being all healthy and require almost zero fuel units to make. With that said a good vinaigrette can make or break a salad. I only have a few vinaigrette recipes and this is one of my staples. It’s easy to remember quick to make and little bit goes a long way to brightening an otherwise boring salad.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3 tsp honey
• salt & pepper to taste

• About 10 minutes of prep

• About eight servings

• I say this recipe yields about eight servings. For a normal sized salad a tablespoon or two should be more than enough to dress a salad. Restaurants today have a tendency to float salads in an ocean of dressing, which has skewed our perception of how much dressing we should use on a salad.
• With Dijon mustard and Balsamic Vinegar this vinaigrette is a little heavier than most. I usually use it on more hardy salads like spinach and endive based salads. Micro-greens and lighter salads would be better served with a citrus based vinaigrette.
• Be sparing on the salt and pepper, my first run with this came out slightly salty and the pepper over powered all the other flavors. A little bit goes a long way with these two ingredients.
• A few times my Dijon mustard was stronger than expected and gave an overly tart taste. If this happens just add a little more honey to balance everything out.

1. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk or a jar and shake till you get a nice even emulsion.
2. Taste to determine if seasoning is needed.
3. Drizzle over salad and serve.

Bon Appétit,
Island Rambler