My Favorite Lemon Vinaigrette

One thing I love about summer is creating delicious “all in one” salads for dinner!  Morgan and I had to chuckle this weekend when we reflected on how far he’s come with his salads.  His favorite salads are no longer comprised of iceberg lettuce, a few tomato slices, croutons, and ranch dressing (although there’s nothing wrong with that kind of salad!).  He now happily eats Spring greens- things like spinach, arugula, mesclun, endive, and radicchio.  Basically, all the stuff that’s packed with good vitamins and antioxidants.  He also eats cheeses like gorgonzola and feta.  Lucky me!  Feta and summertime go hand in hand, don’t you think?.  It’s one of the only cheeses where you can actually use a low fat option and it still tastes amazing.  However, this post is not about cheese, it’s about salad dressing!
So, here it is… my favorite summer salad dressing.  I love it because it’s light, summery, and packed with tons of flavor.  It’s versatile, too.  I can use it for a marinade on meat or add different herbs to it to create a slightly different taste.  This weekend, I made it with basil and oregano but I also use cilantro, for more of a Mexican style dressing.  Think: steak, beans, avocados, and limes, instead of lemon. 
The possibilities are endless! 
Plus, the cost is so much cheaper than anything you can buy in the store.  I think it tastes far better, too!  You can actually taste all of the ingredients!
Like most of my cooking, I kinda wing this recipe.  I’ll share the basic ingredients and the approximate measurements but give it a try for yourself and create your own jar of summery goodness.   
Lemon Vinaigrette
1/4 to 1/2 cup diced or sliced shallots
1 garlic clove minced
3 lemons juiced
1 to 2 T white or red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
Let those ingredients marinade in the jar for 10 minutes - this step is key!
Add:
1/2 to 3/4 cup canola oil (EVOO is too strong for my taste here, although it would be fine for a marinade).
1 to 2 T dijon mustard (optional)
1 to 2 T honey (optional)
add a large handful of chopped fresh herbs like basil or cilantro
or use 1 T of dried herbs like oregano
add pepper to taste
Shake well and taste again for the right balance.
Store in the fridge and enjoy your summer in a jar!