Lemon Vinaigrette with Spring Salad

Once you start making dressings from scratch, you'll never buy another bottle of preservative (and expensive!) packed dressing.  It is so simple- you probably already have everything you need at home.  It took me 3 years of cooking to get around to making dressing from scratch... I thought it was too much of a hassle, or difficult, or... well, involved.  I was wrong - so, so easy.  I highly, HIGHLY recommend it.

You can make this dressing in a bowl, and whisk it together with a fork, or make it in a jar and shake it up.  The recipe is very versatile - add parmesan cheese, fresh herbs (basil or thyme would be great), minced garlic, and/or sugar/honey for a sweeter dressing.

Lemon Vinaigrette

1/2 cup of white wine vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon of sea salt (give or take)
1/2 tablespoon of fresh cracked pepper (give or take)
1/2 cup of olive oil

Start with vinegar, lemon, dijon, salt & pepper.  Mix it together, then drizzle in olive oil while whisking.

Spring Salad Recipe :

4 cups of field greens
2 cups of fresh spinach
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 small red onion, sliced
parmesan cheese
lemon vinaigrette (recipe above)

In a bowl, add greens, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and cheese.  Toss with vinaigrette.  Chill for 10 minutes (if possible) and serve.