Best Balsamic Vinaigrette

i try and have a salad everyday at lunchtime. i am not always successful and most days my lunch falls around 3pm, but i find if i have lots of lettuce and already mixed up dressing, i am more successful in my attempt to eat veggies for lunch. if you are earning a nutrition degree through an accredited online college, you would know how important it is to get in your daily servings of vegetables.

i'm not talking about store bought, pre-made, cannot pronounce the majority of the ingredient dressing. i am talking super-easy, homemade, real-deal ingredients dressing. more often than not, my favorite is balsamic vinaigrette so i make up a big batch and try to always have it sitting in the fridge. when i open the fridge it taunts me. "i dare you to chop up a big salad and drizzle me on it. i double-dog dare you."

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ok, i'm not crazy and this vinaigrette won't talk to you but it will help you enjoy your salads. it's good. it's really good.

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Best Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tbs dijon mustard
3 tbs pure maple syrup
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp crazy janes mixed-up salt
1 tbs minced garlic
30 grinds of pepper

mix all ingredients together in a large container with a tight fitting lid (i use a big mason jar) and shae vigorously. store in fridge. will keep for quite a while in the fridge (about a month).

note: this dressing gets thick when refrigerated. to avoid this, simply pull it out and let it come to room temperature 30 minutes before you want to use it (although it tastes find cold and thick).

The Wedge Salad

everything old is new again. case in point, the wedge salad is back en vogue. seriously, the wedge is back baby. it has popped up on virtually every menu not just the steak houses (where it appears, it never went out of style).

of course, i had to jump on the bandwagon because the wedge is a chef's dream. it's super easy yet has a fabulous presentation. when i say easy, i mean easy. step 1: wash head of iceberg. step 2: cut into quarters. step 3: drizzle with dressing and toppings. step 4: eat.

yes, it is slightly more effort than that considering i cooked my own bacon to crumble, i had to chop the tomatoes and make the dressing. but even including those things the prep time was minimal.

some like ranch (like my wonderful husband) but i am firmly in the blue cheese dressing camp. since iceberg lettuce has virtually no flavor, i like the tangy bite of gorgonzola. so, because i am writing this blog and therefore utterly and absolutely in charge, i am drizzling blue cheese all over my wedge.

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The Wedge
serves 4

1 head of iceberg lettuce
4 strips of bacon, cooked (i give details of my bacon method here)
4 campari tomatoes

wash lettuce and remove core being careful to keep head intact. cut into 4 quarters and pat to dry. place on plate and drizzle with buttermilk blue cheese dressing (see below). crumble one piece of bacon over each quarter. chop tomatoes and sprinkle one tomato over head quarter.

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Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing
(adapted from Epicurious)

1/2 cup olive oil mayo
1 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup coarsely crumbled blue cheese (i like gorgonzola or buttermilk bleu)
1/3 cup buttermilk (or more to desired consistency)

whisk all ingredients together in container with lid. refrigerate and let flavors meld for at least 2 hours.