Blissful All Purpose Vinaigrette

This is one of my favorite dressings/marinades/sauces/dips of all time (hence the “All Purpose” in the name). It is tangy, sweet, and rich but light in calories and easy to make! What a happy little dressing.

I use this as salad dressing, but it’s also perfect for tossing pasta salad, marinating portobellos and other veggies before grilling (woo-hoo grilled veggie season is almost here!), and for dressing steamed veggies and quinoa – our family’s go-to meal at least twice a week! We just steam up whatever we have in the fridge – carrots, celery, peppers, mushrooms, kale or chard, onions, broccoli etc., and make quinoa, brown rice, or couscous in the rice cooker. Then I make a yummy sauce to cover it (very often it is this one) and bada-bing, bada-boom, dinner is served!

• 1/2 C. Walnut oil or the oil from the sun dried tomato jar* (I use Mediterranean Organics sun dried tomatoes)
• 1 clove garlic, minced or ground into a paste with
  2 pinches of salt*
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar or fresh squeezed lemon juice*
• 3 tbsp Balsamic or Sherry* vinegar
• 1 tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (Don’t have this in your pantry? Go out and get some!  Bragg’s Aminos is a staple in my kitchen – it’s a low sodium and gluten-free alternative to soy sauce, and we use it instead of salt in many of our recipes.)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp both salt and pepper

Pour all ingredients in a large canning jar – secure lid and shake well before each use! (No canning jars? you can also whisk all ingredients in a bowl and pour into a dressing bottle or the likes).