Well, we are one month from the day we theoretically made our New Year's resolutions and began to be better people than we were in 2020, and then the year went a little haywire pretty quickly. It feels easy to start dismissing 2021 as a mirror image of 2020 and its litany of horrors, but I say take it one day at a time. There's no need to dismiss a calendar year based on any one thing, so let's take today to reset our minds and bring ourselves into the present.
Today's recipe is perfect for a mental and physical reset, as it is a big, crave-able salad and a dressing that'll make you want said salad more often. Remember that champagne vinegar we made in January from our New Year's Eve leftovers? Yes, that was a whole month ago, believe it or not! I sure can't.
It's time to check it out and see the effects of science and time. Your cheesecloth covered jar of champagne should be totally flat and have a distinctly astringent aroma. It won't be as sharp or sour as the smell of white vinegar, but that is exactly what we want — a mild flavor that won't pucker our mouths.
Didn't have leftover champagne, and didn't make this vinegar? No worries, you can buy it pre-made champagne vinegar to be delivered to your doorstep and it'll be just as good!
Champagne Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 small shallot
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup champagne vinegar
- ⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put everything but the oil in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the oil and pulse a few times until emulsified.
- Season with black pepper and additional salt to taste.
- Store in a capped jar in the fridge for up to a week. Let refrigerated dressing sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before shaking to re-emulsify.
My Basic Garden Salad
I try not to make my everyday salads too complex because otherwise I'd never make or eat them. Salad making must be fairly easy for us to want to do it too often. Every once in a while an over-the-top salad is in order, but when it is time for those I prefer to order them from restaurants!
So here's what I do for an everyday style salad: I only use romaine lettuce because spring mix goes bad the minute you swipe your credit card for it. Romaine, when packaged properly, can last up to two weeks! That's impressive lettuce. Sometimes I'll use butter lettuces, but only if I am certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that I want two or three salads in the next two days. I've been partial to the Vertical Roots hydroponic lettuces I can get at a specialty market nearby. Hydroponics in everyday life, who'd have thought?!
Then my toppings consist of baby bell pepper rings, and I almost always have a bag of those on hand for snacking. A few cherry tomatoes if I have them, get sliced in half. But the best part is something I discovered recently at Lowe's Foods: pick and prep salad mix-ins! The shredded cabbage and carrot mix is the perfect salad addition. It gives you color, leaf variety, and texture all at once. And most importantly, more nutrients!
Lastly, I add freshly shredded cheese — Parmesan in this case — and some pre-packaged croutons. Sometimes I add walnuts or almond slices, but I wasn't feeling it/forgot them today. That's it!
Since it's February and we may be in the throes of winter blues, looking to rush through the month to get to the time change, the beginning of spring, the hope of warmer weather and outdoor hangouts with our friends soon. Try to enjoy each day for what it is, because before you know it, we'll be cracking open yet another champagne bottle to toast the end of yet another year.
Looking for more salads and salad dressings? Try my walnut oil salad dressing, miso mustard salad dressing, and Caesar salad bites.