Cranberry Yogurt Salad Dressing and a Homemade Dressing Primer

After making the cranberry syrup for my pumpkin pancakes a few nights ago, I tried to think of another recipe where I could use the cranberries. I was in the mood for a big spinach salad with dried berries and cheese, and figured making a cranberry salad dressing would be a nice match. I love making salad dressing at home because it's so easy, it's cheap, and you never end up with countless half-empty bottles in the fridge. You also have the opportunity to be creative and use up whatever you have on hand.

I'm not a fan of oily dressings, I prefer a creamy base, however I don't like mayo. I prefer to sub plain or vanilla yogurt, both greek and regular depending on the consistency. I tend to use a 1:1 acid to oil ratio, and use other flavors to balance out the vinegar, but some more traditional dressing recipes call for a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio. Use what you like!

There are a few simple rules I follow when making a dressing, and a few cooking tools have made this so much easier!

My standard dressing is made of:

-oil

-vinegar

-herb/spice

-sugar

-salt and pepper

-special flavor.

OIL elements I use:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Plain or Vanilla Greek Yogurt

Plain or Vanilla Lowfat Yogurt

Tahini

Sour Cream

Coconut Milk

Cottage Cheese

Sesame Oil (use sparingly!)

(Note: I always use at least 1-2 tbsp. EVOO plus one or more of the other oil substitutes, never just a substitute as I find a little oil helps stabilize the dressing)

VINEGAR elements I use:

Balsamic Vinegar

Red Wine Vinegar

Champagne Vinegar

Lemon/Lime/Grapefruit Juice

HERBS/SPICES I use:

Parsley, Oregano, Cilantro, Basil, Rosemary, Chives, Tarragon

Garlic, Red Onion, Scallions

Cinnamon, Ginger, Paprika, Cumin, Corriander

SUGAR I use:

Raw Sugar

Honey

Maple Syrup

Fruit Puree or Juice

SPECIAL FLAVORS are really anything you can imagine. Some special flavors I have used to create dressings are

Fruit: Blueberry, Pear, Cranberry, Mango

Nut: Tahini, Peanut Butter, Pecan, Walnut

Vegetable: Carrot, Avocado, Sun-dried Tomato

Misc: Sriracha, Jam/Jelly, Mustard, Soy Sauce

Cheese: Parmesan, Gorgonzola, Feta, Asiago

From these ingredients, which many people keep on hand all of the time, you can create a million dressing combinations!

Check the dressing tag on my blog for some of the dressings I have created (or found on other blogs, cookbooks, etc.) are:

Coconut Curry Dressing

Moroccan Spiced Lemon Dressing

Creamy Poppy Dressing

Waldorf Salad Dressing

Creamy Walnut Dressing

Blueberry Vinaigrette

Avocado Ranch

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Ginger Carrot Dressing

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette (this is one of my favorites)

Honey Mustard

Parsley Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

For this salad, I made a simple creamy cranberry yogurt dressing.

1 cup fresh cramberries

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp. raw sugar

3/4 cup plain yogurt

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

parsley

Bring cranberries, water and sugar to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat and bring to room temperature.

Add cranberries and remaining ingredients to a blender, puree until smooth.

Now the 2 things that I think make homemade dressing SO easy are:

1. The Magic Bullet - this is a small, food processor/blender that sits on the counter and has a 1 or 2 cup capacity. I use it almost every day, and every time I make dressing to whirl up a small batch for JJ and I.

2. The Aerogarden - When I have a house, I plan to plant a nice herb garden, but for apartment living, or people without garden aspirations, this is a small hydroponic garden system that grows 7 herb varieties at a time. I like the Italian Herb mix, but they're all great. This makes adding fresh herbs to my dressings a pinch, especially when I want 5-6 herbs a week and they're about $2 a bunch. The system is expensive to begin with, but I think it has paid for itself (and it looks pretty cool!)

If you have any questions about the dressing combinations, or want to suggest one that you make at home, please let me know, I love trying new dressings at home!

And please remember, when you make your dressings, TASTE! TASTE! TASTE! You'll have to work with them a bit because there are no true measurements, but err on the side of caution when adding strong flavors, vinegar, spices, salt, etc. You can always add a splash more vinegar or a pinch of salt, but if it's too much to begin with, you'll most likely have to start over.