SALAD DRESSING TO CALL YOUR OWN.

Dressing can make or break a salad.  Yes, the salad ingredients are key (can we say crumbled feta and fresh olives anyone!) but the dressing pulls everything together, making sure every bite has great flavour and texture.  It can be sharp and tangy, or sweet and spicy, super simple, or overly complicated.

The dressing aisle in grocery stores seems to have expanded over the last few years, with dozens of line extensions touting different oils and flavours, vinaigrettes or creams.  It's tempting to explore a variety of different options, filling the fridge door with new bottles.  But back at home, it never seems to taste as good as you thought it would.  And a quick review of the ingredients on the label shows there's a lot more in there than olive oil and parmesan.

I personally love a good salad.  It can be really tasty when you experiment with more than cucumbers and plain lettuce (I use whatever happens to be in my fridge or cupboard at the time), and it's a quick and easy lunch to pack for work or school.  But if the dressing isn't good, I don't want to eat it.  On the other hand, if the dressing is amazing, it can make a salad much more appealing than a greasy burger - or whatever you may be craving at the time.

So, I started making my own dressing for these everyday salads.  Nothing fancy or complicated, just a few simple ingredients poured into a mason jar, given a vigorous shake, and spooned over my greens.  There are some very simple vinaigrettes and yogurt based dressings that are healthy, full of flavour, and will have you loving your salad in no time.

You can make a small amount for one salad to try, or keep a full jar of your favourite in the fridge ready to go.  You can customize based on your taste or health preferences, and you always know exactly what is going into your meal.  It's a no brainer.

Jamie Oliver's Jam Jar Dressings are my favourite go to.  He explains the simple equation for a vinaigrette (3 parts oil to 1 part acid) and gives recipes for French Dressing, Yogurt Dressing, Lemon Dressing, and Balsamic Dressing.  My all time favourite is the  French Dressing, because it has all the ingredients I like best - garlic, oil, and vinegar.

From there you can experiment on your own, or try new recipes every week if you like.  Even try asking the next time you have a great dressing at a restaurant what the ingredients are, then work with what you know about the equation to try and recreate it yourself.  Salad doesn't have to be boring!