Homemade Salad Dressing Recipe (great for a Greek salad!)

I've never been a huge salad eater, mainly because I hate the heavy dressings that seem to drown most salads. Last summer, a friend suggested that I try making my own salad dressing, so that I could have more control over the flavor and ingredients. After scouring the internet, I learned that the basic formula for a homemade salad dressing is simply:  2 parts oil, 1 part acid (e.g. vinegar, lemon juice, etc.), a minced aromatic (garlic, shallot, or onion), herbs, salt and pepper.

The recipe for the dressing I make the most often is located below. I usually make it for a Greek salad (recipe also follows). For additional homemade vinaigrette recipes, visit http://www.vinaigretterecipe.com/VinaigretteRecipes.htm.

Lemon Juice Vinaigrette
Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1.5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients in a mason jar and shake well.
• Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 5 days, in an air-tight container.

A note about picking an olive oil:
When you're making a homemade dressing or marinade, make sure that you use extra virgin olive oil. Regular olive oil has a bolder flavor, which could mask the flavors of your other ingredients, and is better suited to sautéing and grilling meats and vegetables.

Greek Salad (Horiatiki Salata)
Ingredients:

• 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 cups cucumber, sliced and then quartered
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped into 1-in. squares
• 1/4 red onion, sliced into rings
• 8 oz. low-fat (chunk) feta cheese, cut into small cubes
• Lemon Juice Vinaigrette (see above)
• 16 kalamata olives for garnish (optional, not calculated in nutritional info)

Directions:

• Place the tomato, cucumber, green pepper, onion and feta in a large bowl.
• Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently to combine, just before serving.
• Garnish the salad with a little freshly ground black pepper and (if desired) kalamata olives. 

A traditional greek salad does not have lettuce, but I sometimes add chopped romaine hearts to this recipe, in order to serve more people and get some extra greens into my diet :)

Servings: 6-8
Nutritional Information: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1550901.