Edible Paradise

Recipe: Honey Ginger Salad Dressing

With its mild flavor, honey is a great addition to vinaigrette salad dressings and marinades to round out the sharper flavors. A bit of honey adds just the right amount of viscosity so that the dressing clings lightly to whatever it is drizzled over. Honey also acts as an emulsifier, which prevents the dressing from separating. With only 21 calories per teaspoon, nature’s best sweetener adds richness to dressings and marinades.

The key to great salad dressing is balancing the acid (vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice, etc.) and the oil (olive oil, canola oil, walnut or hazelnut oil, etc.) with just enough sweetness to complement the salad ingredients and components. Strong flavored lettuces, such as arugula and romaine, require a different balance of flavors than more delicate greens such as bibb or Boston lettuces.

Lynne Bottazzo, beekeeper and owner of Amen Bees, offers a very unique selection of premium honeys at our farmers markets, including olallieberry, orange blossom, pine, wildflower, sage, star thistle, wild raspberry, carrot, broccoli and pomegranate broccoli honeys.

Lynn commented, “I like to make an apple cider vinegar, olive oil, ginger, honey and garlic dressing to brush onto broiled salmon.”

Making your own salad dressings and marinades is simple to do and costs so much less than store bought products. The fresh taste is so much better than bottled dressings loaded with thickening agents or added preservatives.

The only equipment you need for making your own dressing is a whisk or fork, or a blender, or a jar or vinaigrette shaker with a tight fitting lid. Keep a variety of healthy, quality oils, tasty honeys, and a selection of interesting vinegars and mustards in the pantry and you’ll be ready to make a delicious salad dressing anytime. Embellish your dressings with fresh herbs from the garden or farmers market – the possibilities are almost endless for great tasting salad dressings!

Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator. Ingredients will separate. When ready to serve again, bring dressing to room temperature, shake vigorously to combine ingredients.

Honey Ginger Salad Dressing

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon ginger root, very finely chopped or grated
1/4 teaspoon salt

METHOD:

Place all ingredients into a blender and process for 1 minute. Alternately, place ingredients in vinaigrette shaker, and shake vigorously. Dressing will be quite thick after processing. (If a thinner dressing is desired for more delicate greens, add 1/4 cup water and blend or shake again.)

Store remaining salad dressing in the refrigerator in a closed container.

Dressing may separate in storage. When required again, give the dressing a vigorous shake just before serving. This salad dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.

YIELD: Makes about 1 1/2 cups dressing (enough for 20 salad servings)

See also: Honey and Fresh Herb Vinaigrette, Honey Mustard Vinaigrette, Honey Garlic Vinaigrette, and Honey Citrus Lacquered Wild Salmon in Recipes section.