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Dressings
BY KATHY PATRICK for Success
Here’ s the secret sauce when it comes to recipes for a salad dressing, marinade, vegetable dip, or baked potato topper.
The meals pictured are variations of the recipes featured in this article.
28 | NW GEORGIA LIVING JULY / AUGUST 2025
Always buying store-bought dressings and sauces? Making your own at home is easier than you think, is cheaper, and lets you create flavors specific to your palate and dietary goals. Plus, homemade dressings can be used as a sandwich condiment, atop grain bowls, as marinades, or as dips. Dressings only take about 10 minutes to prepare, and most will stay for about a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can customize homemade dressings by adding heat( a dash of cayenne or hot sauce); fresh herbs like dill, parsley, cilantro, and basil; or different types of mustard, honey, or syrups. Also consider including flavored oils and balsamic vinegars in your creations( a trip to your local oil and vinegar store is a fun way to try tasty new combos).
Vinaigrettes usually have fewer calories than creamy dressings. Traditional French vinaigrette recipes call for a ratio of one tablespoon vinegar to three tablespoons oil, but I prefer two or more tablespoons vinegar to three of oil. Feel free to experiment, though, and discover what you like. As a guideline, kale, cabbage, collards, and brussels sprouts salads can tolerate more vinegary dressings, while mild lettuces like baby spring greens, spinach, romaine, and butter lettuces are better with creamy dressings.